Bright Shadows
by animestargirl
Summary: The Shadow Creatures have entered into a civil war. The king, Yami, was wounded and has fallen into the care of a human. When he falls in love with the boy, he vows to protect him, but when the boy is attacked, what will he do? YY, MM, BR, SJ, OH
1. Meeting the Darkness

Star: Hi everyone! How was everyone's new year? I had a good, and hope you had one too.

I have great news! I am starting my new story "Bright Shadows" This is the first chapter, and I hope you guys like this one as much as Deepest Dreams. I have not stopped Deepest Dreams, and unfortunately, that story will be ending soon, so I have decided to start my next one.

summary: The Shadow Creatures, a race as old as man itself has entered into a period of deadly civil wars, where a group of rebels led by a mysterious man, try to take over the throne. The king of the Shadows, Yami, was wounded in an attack on his life. He flies to the city of Domino where he collapses. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the care of the human, Yugi Mouto. Though the Shadows and the humans are mortal enemies, the 'Master of the Dark Ones' finds himself falling in love with this boy. He fights against both his race's laws, and the assasins sent after him in order to keep Yugi by his side forever. But when Yugi is attacked, will he keep the human with him, or will he push the boy away in order to protect him? And what will he do when the rebel leader turns out to be someone he knows very well?

(couples: Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou, Marik/Malik, Seto/Jou, Otogi/Honda)

I hope everyone likes this story. I personaly don't like this first chapter very much, but I hope that you people do. So please enjoy the chapter of my BRAND NEW STORY!!!!!!!!!!

disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh, so stop asking!

"speech"

'thoughts'

----------------Meeting the Darkness--------------

A scream pierced the air, as the sound of swords clashing filled the chamber. The smell of blood, death, and steel filled the area, drawing all into the battle. Battle cries crecendoed as hundreds of men in black robes stormed into the room. Some fought with weapons, others with their fists, while others took to the skies and attacked from above.

The defenders were heavily outnumbered, though they continued to fight valliantly to drive the invaders out. They faced the intruders head on and did not shy away from the battle, but drew their swords and raced into the war. They fought and fought, refusing to let the others, men who had once been their comrades, win the throne.

Flames licked at the heels of the men as they continued their struggle. The fine silk draperies that had once decorated the chamber were soaked in blood, torn and tattered, feeding the fire that grew in its power. Everything was destroyed, covered in the sticky red substance, and things only became worse as the battle grew.

"Protect the Master!" a young brunette cried over the sounds of the war, defeating an enemy and quickly deflecting the blow of another.

The men obeyed, surrounding the throne, trying to keep their king safe from harm. The brunette stood at the front of the line, flanked by a blonde haired boy at his left. With a quick look back, the brunette charged, his cry echoed by the men. The blonde shot down an archer from the sky, and was about to take off himself when a yell of pain caught his attention. It seemed that the entire battle stoped when the voice reached the ears of the warriors.

The blonde and brunette turned behind them and quickly located the source of the cry. Their eyes widened as they looked upon as their leader fell to his knees in pain, an arrow piercing his right shoulder. The brunette started to rush to him, intent on saving his master, when the battle restarted.

The traitors grew more confident, the injury of the leader giving them an energy boost. They felled the ones who stood in their way, inching closer every time to the throne. The ones in the air tried to attack the wounded leader, but the king's faithful soldiers retaliated, giving their lives to protect their king.

The leader rose to his feet, his eyes clentching shut in pain. He had suffered many wounds, but was not about to give up. He had to help his men, despite the cost. He looked at the brunette fighting to reach him, and smiled. He could always count on his friends at a time like this. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to revel in the thought as arrows rained down on him from the sky. He quickly raised his shield, and ran down the steps of the throne.

"Go back!" he yelled to the other boy. "Don't worry about me!"

"But Master-" the other boy started to say, before he was cut off, having to protect himself from an assailant.

"Go back!" the king said again, as he slew a man, his sword already drenched in the blood of others. He did not need for his friend to worry about him. He could fight along side his men just fine. He might have been injured, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. He turned and faced a group of invaders, sword ready to fight.

"Well, well. If it isn't our great king. Hiding behind your slaves, Master?" one of the men said, speaking the word master as if it had burned his tongue.

"I never hide behind anyone. And I never run from traitors like you," the young king spat back, anger filling his eyes.

"You should have run when you had the chance, because now you will die!" the man said as the group charged into attack. They would win and take over the throne. They would please their new master, at all costs.

The king blocked their attacks, and dodged another, all the while trying to keep a steady ground. He knew he was out numbered, and he knew that with so many attacks, he had no chance to take the offensive, but he was determined to win. He would protect his people, and he would stop these men from taking over the world.

Suddenly the leader felt searing pain in his side, the glint of a sword drentched in his blood catching his eye. He tried to move, but was hit again, this time with the hilt of the sword in his ribs. He saw the world start to dim, but refused to lose. He got up and fought back, managing to kill one before another bolt of pain flew through his leg.

"MASTER!" he heard someone scream in the distance, but the sound of his heart beating drowned it out. He heard it start to slow, as he lost more of his blood, but refused to quit the fight. Another strike hit him in the shoulder blade, traveling up till it reached his neck. He screamed in pain, and tried to run, but was blocked.

He saw a man lift his sword to end the battle, when a silver streak nailed him in the side. He looked into the worried eyes of another friend, and gave a small smile. "Thanks for the save," he whispered.

"Master, you must flee. You have to get to safety!" the silver haired boy said, helping the wounded leader walk.

"No, I can't leave you guys," the other replied as he defended his friend from another blow.

"Master, you can't stay. They won't stop until you are dead. You need to get to safety," the blonde said as he rushed up to help.

"But-"

"GO! We'll stop them," the brunette yelled at him.

The king nodded in defeat, and ran away from the others. Once he was back at his throne, he removed his breast plate. Huge black wings sprung from their encagement, free to move now that the metal was not blocking their way. He opened his dark wings, the light making them shimmer with traces of red inlaid in them. With one last look at the battle, he took off into the air. He felt the wind rushing past him, delving deep into his wounds, causing him to wince in pain.

He broke free from the chamber, and flew out of his palace. He stopped to survey the area, taking in the fire and destruction that littered his home. With a heavy sigh, he took off again, searching for a place to hide.

Blonde bangs covered his vision, as he scanned the town below him, deciding instead to take to the forest. He would not endanger innocent civilians at any cost. He tried to hide in shadows, when he saw more assailants flying towards the castle. Even from his distance he could hear the battle.

His vision started to blur at the edges, and paniked. 'No, I can't fall now,' he thought as he sped up, streaking across the night sky with urgency. Soon, though he felt his wings become heavy, the loss of blood finaly taking its toll on the king. His eyes frantically searched for a safe place, and headed off towards a grove of trees in the distance.

Unfortunately in his flying he had not noticed where he was going, and had ended up in a large city. What was worse was that it was a human city. The king cursed his stupidity, before letting out a cry of surprise when his wings collapsed from exhaustion, and he dropped out of the sky. He fell through some trees, crying out each time he hit a branch. When he finally reached the ground, he just lay there.

Once he regained himself slightly, he tried to sit up, but found that he was now even more injured than before. "Damn trees!" he yelled, realizing as a spark of pain went through his ribs, that yelling was not the best thing to do. He tried to sit up again, but only managed to lean against the trunk of the tree. He felt pain in his left shoulder blade which only meant one thing: his left wing was broken.

The king cursed his bad luck. With a broken wing, there was no way he could get back home. He couldn't walk home either, because he was much too tired. The king had lost a lot of blood in the battle, and was now weakened and exhausted. He saw his vision start to blur again, but knew he couldn't pass out in the middle of a human city. If any human found him, who knows what they would do. The leader growled, as he thought of humans taking him, doing research on him, trying to find out what he was.

As he was cursing the humans, his ears picked up the sound of footsteps heading in his direction. He paniked and tried to hide behind the tree, but to no avail. His broken wing was dragging on the ground, and his good one was scraping against the bark of the tree. He couldn't escape! He was trapped, and only hoped that the shadow of the tree would hide him enough. His breaths came out in frightened, rapid pants, as the footsteps came closer.

He closed his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed, when to his bad luck he heard the footsteps stop, and a surprised gasp rang through the night. He knew it was over when he heard the human come closer. He started to fall into unconsiousness, his body having enough for one night. He faitnly heard a voice call him, male by the sound of it.

"Are you ok?" the human asked, worry, confusion, and slight fear in his soft voice.

The king opened his eyes, and looked into the human's eyes above him. Worried amethysts stared back at him, roaming his body and taking in his wounds. The eyes stopped for a moment at his wings, before traveling back up and meeting the kings eyes again.

"Leave………me," the king whispered, his eyes drooping as they slowly slid shut.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"Yami………I am Yami," he answered, as he finally slipped into darkness.

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Star: TADA! I hope you all liked it! Please review, and wait for the next chapter of Bright Shadows and Deepest Dreams!


	2. Innocent Wings

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

"speech"

'thought'

Chapter 2: Innocent Wings

* * *

Soft. That was he felt. Everything around him was soft. It felt like he was lying on a cloud, cool and fluffy underneath him. His body was enveloped in the feeling, and it was comforting and peaceful. He let out a contented sigh, and buried his face in the pillow he was lying on. The king smiled slightly; he thought he was home. He thought he was lying in his bed, a familiar place. But for some reason his pillow had a soft, citrus scent to it like lemons. 'Lemons?' he thought. 'Why would my pillows smell like lemons?'

Suddenly everything came back to him, rushing at him like an avalanche. He opened his eyes and sat up. He took in the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to find anything that looked even slightly familiar. Finding nothing, he started to panic. Where was he? Why wasn't he in the palace? He suddenly remembered that he had flown to a human city and passed out in the middle of a park. Then he remembered he had been found by a human. The boy with the purple eyes. Could he have taken him somewhere? It certainly looked like a human home. And everything smelled of human.

The king growled angrily. He was repulsed by the mere fact that a human had touched him. He didn't want to think of what else the filthy creatures might have done to him. He blamed himself for letting himself be found. If only he had stayed in the forest, but no, he just had to fly out to a human city. Now he was in an even greater mess than before. The king tried to get up, but received a sharp pain in his left shoulder. He turned his crimson eyes down and gasped. His left wing was covered in bandages, the white material covering almost all of the black wing. He tried to move it, but hissed in pain. Well, it was official. His wing was broken, and would be useless for a few weeks. He needed to get back home so that he could be healed properly.

He then looked down and saw he was shirtless, his chest also wrapped in many bandages. There was another one on his upper right arm, and his left shoulder was covered as well. He could feel one wrapped around his forehead, and there was a band aid on his left cheek. His wrists were wrapped as well, and he could barely move them. The king could also feel bandages on his legs. He must have suffered more injuries than he thought.

All of a sudden he heard a door close somewhere below him, and the sound of footsteps coming upstairs. He tensed up, sensing a human was nearby. It was probably the human who found him. When was that? A few hours? A day? How long had he been unconscious? The king hoped it wasn't for too long, because he really needed to get back to his kingdom to see if his soldiers had won the battle. His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the room he was in opened, and in walked a human. The king was shocked to find that the boy looked almost identical to him, except for the height and the hair color. The human then turned, and the king looked into violet eyes. 'It's the boy from before!' he thought as an expression of shock came over his face momentarily.

"Oh, I see you've regained consciousness. I'm glad," the human said, smiling at him. The king growled and jumped out of the bed, summoning a dagger with magic and pointing it at the boy. "Who are you! Where am I!" he demanded.

"Calm down. You're going to hurt yourself even more," the boy said, stepping closer to the other despite the blade aimed at him. The king growled again, his crimson eyes ablaze. "Stay away, human! Where am I!"

"We are at my house," the smaller boy said, taking a few steps back. The king looked into his eyes, surprised at how calm they seemed, despite what was happening.

"Who are you!" Clearly the king was not going to calm down until he got some answers. He was also clearly not above threatening the boy.

"My name is Yugi Mouto." Yugi had remained very calm and even this whole time, obviously not worried that anything would happen to him.

"You are the boy from the park," the king said, receiving a nod from the other boy. "You brought me here?"

"Yes, but it wasn't easy carrying you all the way from the park to my house. I was afraid that you'd get hurt even more."

"Were you the one who bandaged my injuries?"

"Yes, but you are going to re-open them if you don't go lie down," Yugi said as he took another step towards the leader. The crimson eyed man growled in warning, holding the dagger up, and Yugi stopped in his place. "What's the matter?"

"I don't trust you, human! How do I know you didn't do anything to me? I wouldn't put it past your kind to do something like that. "

"I wouldn't do that. Please lie down," the boy said again. "No! I'm leaving now!" the king yelled back as he started walking towards the window. Suddenly he felt hands grab his arm, trying to stop him. With a cry of outrage, he pushed the human away. "Don't touch me, you worthless, filthy human!" The man saw hurt flash through the amethyst eyes quickly, but it was replaced with determination.

"You can't leave."

"I can do anything I want, and no human is going to stop me!" he said, as he opened the window.

"Yami, don't go!" The man stopped in surprise. The boy knew his name. He turned towards the boy, and walked away from the window. "How do you know who I am?"

"You told me at the park," came Yugi's response.

That's right, he had. Right before he had passed out, Yami remembered telling the boy his name. The others would kill him if they ever found out. Not only had Yami talked to a human, but he had told the human his name. That alone must have broken ten laws. Yami was suddenly aware of a hand holding his, and growled at the boy. Yugi, however, didn't listen and pulled him back towards the bed. The human pushed him back onto the bed, but Yami tried to get back up. Yugi pushed him back down again. "You have to stay still, or else your wounds won't heal."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Yami said, flexing his wings. He cried out in pain when he suddenly felt pain in his shoulder. "Damn wing!"

"Don't move it."

"Don't tell me what to do! What would you know about wings, human!" Yami spat at the boy.

"I don't know anything. But I do know it's hurt, and with any injury you have to take care of it. Now hold still, and I'm going to change the bandages," Yugi said as he walked out of the room. Yami scowled after him, but didn't say anything. He had no other choice. With this broken wing he couldn't get away. Even though he was strong enough to walk now, he didn't know where he was. And he certainly wouldn't go outside with his wings showing.

Yugi then came back holding a few rolls of new bandages, a cloth, and a bowl of water. He sat on the bed in front of Yami, causing the other to scoot back as he continued to glare at the human. "Yami, please let me change your bandages," Yugi pleaded. There was something in the way that Yugi asked him that calmed his anger a bit. He searched the boys eyes for any hint of malice, but found only care in the deep violet orbs. With a heavy sigh, Yami scooted closer to the boy but still kept his guard up.

Yugi smiled, and gently took one of Yami's hands. He slowly started to unwrap the bandage, being careful not to hurt the other any more. Yami watched the human boy the entire time, and noticed how soft the other's hands felt against his skin. He slowly started to relax since he didn't sense any immediate danger. They sat in silence for a bit, until Yami finally broke the silence. "Why are you doing this?" Yugi glanced up at the man quickly and replied, "Because you are hurt."

"But why?" Yami asked again. The human just shrugged as he continued what he was doing. "I don't know. You were hurt, and I couldn't just leave you there. Who knows what could have happened to you."

Yami sat there, going over the boy's answer. It didn't really make sense. There was no benefit to Yugi for helping, and yet he had gone out of his way to bring him to this house to treat Yami. Yami shook his head in confusion; he just didn't understand humans. These creatures were so strange. They had limited time, yet wasted it doing things like this. Speaking of time, Yami was curious as to how much time had passed since he passed out. "How long has it been since you found me?"

"Two weeks," was the simple answer.

That news hit Yami like a ton of bricks. "TWO WEEKS! I've been unconscious for two weeks!" He had thought he'd been unconscious for at least three, maybe four days at the most. But this news wasn't good at all.

Yugi just nodded, slightly surprised by the outburst. "What's wrong?"

"I have to get back!" Yami said as he started to get up, only to be held back by Yugi. "Let go! I need to go home!"

"You're still injured! You'd only get hurt worse if you tried to leave," Yugi said as he tried to calm the king. But Yami wouldn't calm down, and kept trying to fight the boy to get free. "The other's have to be worried. They probably think I'm dead!" Yami said as he continued to try to leave.

"Do you think they'd want you to get hurt even more just because you wanted to get back home?" At those words, Yami stopped struggling. The human was right; the others would want him to heal. They'd probably yell at him for getting hurt more. With another heavy sigh, he sat back down on the bed. Yugi let out a small sigh himself. Trying to hold the man back was difficult, even if Yami had all those injuries on him. He looked at the man, and noticed the worried expression in his eyes. "Is there something wrong at your home?"

"A human like you would never understand."

"Maybe I will. Try me."

Yami was silent as he watched as the boy began to treat his wounds again, starting on his right arm now. Yami wasn't sure if he should tell the boy. Contact with humans was against the law, and not even he, the king, was exempt from the rules. But then again, Yugi didn't seem to pose any threat to him or his race. "Well…forget it. You really wouldn't understand."

"Just try." Yugi sounded pretty confident that he'd understand the situation. Yami decided to humor him, since there was really nothing else he could do at the moment. Perhaps talking about it would keep Yami from stressing out so much. So Yami sighed and started talking. "Ok…well, you've probably guessed I'm not human."

"Really? Cause the giant black wings and the fact that you called me a 'worthless, filthy human' didn't tip me off in the slightest," Yugi replied sarcastically, bringing a smirk to Yami's face.

"I am a Shadow," Yami continued. "My race is as old as the humans."

"Shadow? I've never heard of you."

"Of course not. Humans are our sworn enemies."

"Why?"

"When the first human was created, so was the first Shadow. They were like two sides of a same coin. The human was the "light" half while we were the "dark" half. With each new human that was born, there was born a Shadow. They were exactly the same as the humans, except they had wings, fangs and claws, could see in the dark, and had extended hearing."

"Your wings make you look like a vampire, or a demon." Yugi was extremely curious about Yami now, since he had never before come across something as unique as this. He was having a hard time grasping the fact that supernatural creatures really did exist, but it was impossible to ignore the fact that one was sitting on his bed talking to him.

"Vampires and demons were only created by humans to scare the younger ones, and to make us into animals. They made us out to be evil beasts who were below them, while they passed themselves off as perfect creatures, " Yami said with anger in his eyes. "The humans didn't know anything about us, as they were all too busy trying to destroy us."

"Destroy you? Why would they do that?" Yugi asked as he started to unwrap the bandages from Yami's chest. Though Yugi knew very well from his history lessons that humans had a tendency to try and kill off anything different or strange.

"Because they were afraid, and they were jealous. They feared us because of what we were, and they hated us for our gifts. The humans wanted to be the masters of the earth, to populate every corner of this planet. But we were in their way." Yami was really starting to get angry now, and had to take a deep breath to calm himself. It was clear that he did not have a good opinion of humans, and wanted nothing to do with them. "Shadows are physically superior to humans, and the humans knew it. They knew that with us around, they wouldn't be the dominant group on the planet. They were afraid that we would rise up against them and take over, so they attacked us. They killed my people, saying they were ridding the world of us "monstrous beasts". When in reality the humans were the beasts."

Yami had to take another deep breath to calm himself. He really was trying hard not to get angry, but it was difficult. "Shadows then decided that they had had enough, and that it was time to fight back. One strong Shadow gathered troops together and attacked the humans in retaliation. Those weak humans didn't stand a chance against us. We quickly defeated them, but they kept coming back over and over in greater numbers. It soon turned into a war."

"But how come I have never heard of this war?" Yugi was pretty sure he would have remembered something about a war between humans and the human like "Shadows".

Yami shrugged in response. "It happened hundreds of thousands of years ago. The modern humans probably thought it was a myth." Yami wasn't really surprised that Yugi had never heard of the wars. Humans weren't really open minded to the thought of other creatures inhabiting the planet with them. "Well, despite the battles, my people still wanted to live in peace. We tried numerous peace talks, but the humans wouldn't listen to us. Finally we realized that our races would never be able to live together, so my people hid from the humans in remote places on the earth. The man who started the first army was selected as the ruler. That man was my five times great uncle."

Yugi stopped what he was doing, and looked up at Yami with his eyes widened in surprise. "Your uncle! So that means you are royalty?" He'd never met anyone from a royal family before. This night was getting much more interesting.

Yami chuckled at Yugi's surprise. "I am more than just royalty. I am the current king of the entire Shadow race."

Yugi just stared at Yami silently while his mind was racing to process the information he was just given. This man in front of him was a king! And not just any king, but THE king of an entire race of creatures. There was no way it could be true. "You look too young to be a king," was all Yugi managed to say through his shock.

"Looks can be deceiving, Yugi," Yami replied with a smirk. Yugi shook his head, still not one hundred percent convinced that Yami was really a king. But then again, he really had no reason to doubt the guy. "How old are you?" Maybe Yami was in his twenties but just looked young?

"Three thousand six hundred and seventy two," Yami replied coolly. Yugi was floored. He was how old? That definitely had to be a joke! "T-three…"

"Did I forget to mention Shadows live for thousands of years? Oops," Yami said, his smirk growing larger, amusement in his eyes. Yugi just stared at him some more. "Ok, let me get this straight. You are from a different species, you are a king, and you are over three thousand years old." Yami just nodded, still clearly amused by Yugi's reaction.

"…Ok then. Nothing simpler than that," Yugi said as he resumed changing the bandages on Yami's chest. Yami just shook his head. "You humans are such strange creatures. When you discover something that doesn't fit your sense of reality, you either deny it's existence, or assume you are crazy. I know that you think you have gone insane, so don't try to deny it."

"Well, it's not everyday that a king from a different species sits on my bed. Excuse me if I'm a little shocked," Yugi responded as he smirked. Yami couldn't help but smile in return. This human was different from others he had met. Yugi genuinely seemed like a good person. Yami couldn't sense anything strange going on, so he had no reason to fear the boy. The king relaxed as he felt the boy's soft hands gently move over his skin. "So how did you get all of these wounds?" asked Yugi as he began to unwrap the bandages around Yami's chest.

That question made Yami's mood darken quite a bit. He frowned and stared blankly at the ceiling. "The night you found me, there was a battle. Not between us and humans, but between my kingdom and a group of rebels who want to take over the throne. They caught us by surprise, and stormed into my throne room. I fought back with my soldiers, but we were outnumbered."

Yugi was pretty surprised to hear the news. "At least you survived."

Yami sighed and nodded, but he clearly wasn't happy. "Yes, but only because my friends told me to escape. I wanted to stay and fight." He would have stayed too, but the others clearly weren't going to let him.

"It's a good thing you left. I'm glad you did." Yugi thought Yami was a nice guy, and didn't know why anyone would want to attack him. Yami was pretty surprised at Yugi's response. He didn't expect to be told that. And by a human no less. His life was taking a strange turn. He looked down at Yugi, trying to figure out why he was being so nice. Yami had thought the boy would get mad after hearing him talk about humans so badly. But he was treating him like a friend.

That was a strange thought. A human and a Shadow could never be friends. They hated each other. Or they were supposed to. But Yami was finding it hard to hate the human boy in front of him. Sure, he was grateful that Yugi had healed him, true, but he would not go so far as to start referring to the boy as a friend. He then felt Yugi's hands start working on his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. Yami took in the boy's features, making sure to memorize every detail. The boy's skin looked like porcelain, and it felt so soft when it touched his own skin. Yugi's large, amethyst eyes were narrowed in concentration as small hands skillfully wrapped the bandages. The scent of lemons faintly hung in the air, surrounding the small human. Yami's eyes then traveled down the boy's face till they reached his neck. The king noticed a large cut on the left side of boy's neck. He was suddenly curious. "How did you get that cut on your neck?"

Yugi's hands flew to his neck, and he smiled sheepishly. "When I was bandaging your chest, I had to move your wing so I could reach back, and…your wing jerked and scratched me. That thing hurts," Yugi said, looking at the top of Yami's right wing were a small, sharp claw pointed out.

"I'm sorry. Wings are very sensitive," said Yami. He felt pretty bad for hurting the boy, even if it wasn't intentional. Yugi just smiled and shook his head. "It's ok. It was an accident," he said as he finished wrapping up his shoulder. He then reached behind Yami's head and loosened the clip, and pulled the white cloth away. "You had a large lump on your head. Good thing it was hidden by your hair."

"I'm fine. My friend's always say I'm thick headed." Yugi laughed lightly, and Yami suddenly felt his heart flutter. 'What the hell?' he thought, 'What was that about?' Yami was extremely confused at his reaction. 'There must be something in the air,' he told himself, trying to convince himself that it wasn't because of Yugi. "By the way, Yugi. How did you get me here without your parents noticing?"

Yugi's happy demeanor suddenly disappeared, and he let remained quiet with a small frown on his face. Yami could feel the tension in the air, and wondered if maybe he shouldn't have asked that question. "Yugi?" he called quietly.

"My parents are…I don't have parents," Yugi said softly. Yami was pretty shocked to hear that information. Yugi didn't have parents? Yami now felt bad for bringing up that topic. "Who do you live with?"

"My grandpa. He's the only family I have left, Yugi answered. "I'm sorry," Yami said, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. He didn't know why he felt so bad for the boy, but seeing Yugi sad made him sad as well. He had the urge to make a fool of himself if it would make Yugi happy.

"It's ok. It was a long time ago," Yugi said as he smiled up at Yami, clearly trying to return to his happy state.

"I'm surprised your grandfather has let me stay here." Yami was trying to get off the topic of Yugi's parents. Any other topic would be much appreciated at this time. "Well…he doesn't know about you," Yugi said.

"Really? Well it's better that way. The fewer humans to know of me the better. But wouldn't he have seen you bring me up here?" Yugi shook his head and explained that his grandfather had been out of town for a little over a week, visiting a friend in another country. Yami was a bit curious as to how Yugi was able to take care of himself for so long without an adult in the house. Surely the boy was fourteen, fifteen at the very latest.

Yugi noticed the curious look Yami was giving him, and snickered softly. "I know that look. You think I am too young to be at home alone. This may come as a surprise, but I'm actually nineteen." Yami was definitely not expecting that answer, and his expression must have been quite funny looking because Yugi began laughing. "Yes, yes. I know. You probably thought I was ten," Yugi said as his laughter died down to chuckles.

Yami shook his head in disbelief. No way this kid was that old. "Actually, I thought you were about fourteen." Yugi continued chuckling at Yami's reactions. "Really? That's higher than what most people guess. But I am nineteen, going on twenty pretty soon. Despite the fact that I look like a baby."

'But he looks like a cute baby.' Yami thought. 'Whoa! I did NOT just call a human cute!' As Yami was stuck on that thought, Yugi reached up and gently touched Yami's hurt wing. The black wing moved, causing Yugi to pull his hand back quickly. Yami watched as he reached up and touched it again. The king did his best to keep the wing from jerking, since he didn't want to startle the boy. Yugi looked over at him, then looked back at the injured wing. "They are so soft," he said, as he lightly stroked it. Yami suppressed a pleased shiver that ran through him, as Yugi continued to pet the wing. "I'm sorry, I don't really know much about bandaging wings, so I went on the internet and looked up how to bandage a bird wing." Yugi said, blushing in embarrassment.

Yami felt a slight tug at his heart, but pushed the feeling away. "It's fine. You did a good job," Yami replied, smiling at the boy. Yugi smiled back, causing the feeling to reappear in Yami's heart. 'What is wrong with me tonight? He's just a human.' Maybe the hit to his head rattled his brains more than he thought. "You a pretty good at taking care of injuries."

"Yea? Well I have a lot of experience bandaging wounds," Yugi responded, slight bitterness in his voice. Yami frowned at the tone of his voice. What did he mean by that? "What are you saying?" Yugi tried to ignore the question, but Yami wasn't going to let it drop. He continued pushing for an answer until Yugi sighed in frustration and pulled up the right sleeve of the long sleeved shirt he wore, revealing an arm covered in bandages. The parts that weren't covered in bandages had faint scars and scratches all over. Yami gasped as he looked at the arm. "What happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter," Yugi said as he reached up to undo the clasp on the bandages covering the wing. Yami grabbed his wrist, causing him to look into the Shadow's crimson eyes. "Yes it does. How did this happen to you?" Yugi looked into Yami's eyes for a few seconds. Did the other actually care about what happened to him? Yugi then wrenched his hand away from Yami's grasp, and averted his gaze. "It was some kids at school. They always do it. It's no big deal."

Yami felt anger flow through him. He just couldn't believe that anyone would hurt the boy in front of him. He was so kind. That anyone could strike such an innocent creature was beyond him. The king felt like going after those punks and giving them the same treatment they gave Yugi ten times over. He couldn't for the world figure out why he was so mad, but right now he didn't care. "Why the hell would they do something like this?"

Yugi shrugged. He had asked himself that same question more times than he could remember, but he still had no answer. He just assumed that they hadn't been hugged enough as kids. Yugi explained to Yami that did everything to avoid the bullies, but it didn't always work. His friends did their best to keep him safe, but as they weren't always around Yugi was never a hundred percent safe. "But it's not something you should concern yourself about," Yugi said as he removed all of the bandages from the wing, softly stroking the feathers. Yami frowned and sighed. He knew that there was nothing he could do about Yugi getting bullied, but it still made him angry. After Yugi finished with the wing, he pulled away. Yami noticed a faint blush on the human's cheeks. "What is it?"

"Well...um…" Yugi stuttered, his blush deepening. "You were also…injured on your legs. So you…have to…" Yami understood, and took off his pants noticing with great amusement that Yugi's face was now redder than a cherry. "Why are you blushing? You have already taken my pants off enough times, I'm sure," Yami teased, smiling in victory when Yugi squeaked in embarrassment. Yami had the fleeting thought that Yugi looked so cute when he blushed. Yugi tried to say something in response, but nothing came out other than a few stutters. "I'm sure you didn't take advantage of my body when I was out."

"Would you look at that! I need more bandages!" Yugi said, quickly exiting the room. Yami just chuckled at the boy's reactions. It was fun making Yugi blush. Yami realized that he was flirting with the human, but he just liked the way Yugi looked when he blushed. Yami was actually enjoying talking to the human, which was something he never thought would be possible.

When Yugi walked back in, he kept his head down, refusing to look up at Yami. He sat down next to Yami and took a deep breath before reaching over to start working on the dressings on the legs. Sure, he had done it many times in the past two weeks, but never when Yami was awake. Now he was nervous with Yami watching him. He quickly finished redressing the legs, and sat back with a happy sigh. It had taken a while, but he didn't mind. It was barely after eight, which gave him enough time to do his homework and eat. Speaking of food, he realized Yami must have been hungry. He hadn't eaten in two weeks. "You must be starving! What do you want to eat?"

"It's ok. I'm fine." Yugi didn't believe Yami for one second. He had been unconscious for two weeks, a fact he quickly pointed out to the Shadow. There was no way he couldn't be dying of starvation. He needed to eat something, because Yugi hadn't gone through all that trouble of taking care of Yami's wounds just for the man to up and die of starvation.

Yami chuckled at Yugi's seriousness. "My people can go for about a month without food. We gain energy from the earth around us." He then asked Yugi to pull back the curtains. "Sure, but why?" Yugi said as he opened the curtains, letting the light from the moon shine in the room, landing on the bed where Yami sat. He saw Yami close his eyes, as a small content sigh escaped his lips. "The moon gives me energy. Enough so that my wounds will heal faster."

"Well, that's good. But while you are not hungry, I am starving. And I have to do my homework," Yugi said as he picked up all the supplies. "I'll leave the door open, so you call me if you want anything ok. Don't move, because I don't want to have to re-bandage you."

Yami smirked at Yugi, who smiled back. The human then left the room, and left Yami to his thoughts. The king lay down on the bed, wincing as his wing started to throb. He wrapped his right wing around his body and stretched his left out completely, most of the wing falling off of the bed onto the ground. That made the pain disappear slightly, but what really caused the pain to leave was the way Yugi had bandaged it. It wasn't too tight, but enough so that his bones would stay together. 'I wonder how the others are doing? I must get back to my kingdom soon. But do I even still have a kingdom? Could they have lost? No, they are too strong to loose to a weak group of rebels.' He tried to convince himself that everything would be the same when he got home. But he was still slightly worried. What if they really had lost? What would happen to his people? He couldn't let them be ruled by those radicals.

He had to heal as fast as he could, so he could leave this place soon. But then a thought occurred to him. Did he want to leave that fast? 'Of course I do. I shouldn't be here in the first place. The sooner I get away from these humans, the better.' But there was an annoying tug in the back of his mind that made him want to stay in this house for a few days longer, just to have Yugi take care of him. Yugi was not like the others. He was nice, and caring, unlike the selfish, greedy pigs that inhabited the rest of the planet. Yami was very grateful for what the young human had done for him. He had to find a way to repay the boy somehow. He felt as if he owed the boy that much. 'I really should stop thinking of him. After this I won't see him ever again.'

The Shadow felt a slight tug in his chest when he thought that. He couldn't figure out why he felt so differently about Yugi. He was only a human. His life was a mere second compared to Yami's. The boy hadn't seen what the king had seen. He hadn't had to rule an entire planet. He was innocent, and pure. Something Yami was surprised to see in a human. 'Do I really want to leave that badly?' he asked himself. 'I wouldn't be of any use to the others with my injuries, and it's not so horrible here. Besides, I can't leave Yugi alone. Who knows what could happen to him. He's so frail, and he's so easily hurt.'

Remembering the bruises covering Yugi's small body made fury rise up the king's throat. He still couldn't believe that anyone could harm the boy. It just proved that humans were despicable creatures who preyed on the weak. Yami swore he would find those boys. He could take care of those boys for Yugi, as a way of thanks. It was strange that he felt so protective of the young boy. He had only known him for a few hours, and yet Yami felt connected to the boy in some way. He shut his ruby eyes and sighed. 'Why do I feel this way? He's a human. Not even an important human. Just a regular, average teenager. I'm the king, for crying out loud! I shouldn't be getting so sentimental over a human. So he took care of me. That doesn't mean anything.' Yami opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. This was too confusing for him. He needed to stop thinking of Yugi. Unfortunately for him, it was hard to do when he was in the boy's room. Everything had his scent, and that somehow made Yami feel at ease. He stretched his wing out, still feeling the boy's gentle touch. It amazed him that those small hands were so soft and delicate. A part of him wanted those hands back on his wing to pet it again. He hated to admit it, but he liked the feeling it gave him.

His wing started to flap lightly, the dark black feathers fluttering gently. He yearned to fly again; to be out in the sky where he could stretch his wings out completely. He wanted to feel the wind rushing past him. He wanted to feel weightless. He wanted to feel free. Yami hated being kept inside for a long time. He just had to be outside, flying under the moon. Speaking of the moon, it was very unfortunate that he had missed the full moon. If he had been under the full moon, he would have healed much faster. But the waning moon still gave him enough strength, at least for now. Though it would take a bit longer. Yami turned his gaze outside and looked up at the sky. He stared up at the moon, his eyes turning a deep crimson. He felt himself slowly regain some strength, and all his pain left him. His eyes closed, letting his body relax as he fell into a meditative trance. He lay completely still, not even batting an eyelash.

He remained like that for a few hours, till finally he reopened his eyes when he felt the moon had given him enough. He stretched and yawned, feeling reenergized. He tried to stretch his wings, but groaned in annoyance. The bed was too small and was against a wall, meaning his right wing was against it, unable to stretch out. His left wind had enough room on the floor, but his wounds, along with the angle at which it was leaning was becoming painful. Even if he stood up, there wouldn't be enough space in the bedroom for his wings to span out completely. Yami sighed, sometimes the wings were such a pain. He couldn't even retract them, because his left wing had to heal. Suddenly he heard a noise at the door and looked over. Standing in the door way was Yugi, smiling at him. He smiled back, unable to hold it back. "Hey," he called.

"Hi," Yugi replied. "I'm going to bed now. Is there anything you want?" Yami shook his head. But then thought better and asked for water. Yugi smiled and walked away. He came back a moment later holding a glass of water. He handed the Shadow the drink, and sat down next to him. His violet eyes wandered over the bandages, making sure that everything was ok. He noticed Yami's right wing was draped across his chest. 'That's pretty cool,' he thought, and he felt the urge to feel those wings again. Not that he hadn't done it many times before, but they still felt so soft. He hesitantly reached a hand out, and brushed his fingers against the wing. He felt the wing flutter and gasped. He reached down and touched it again, the soft feathers lightly rippling under his touch. He looked up at Yami, and noticed the king was watching him, an amused smile on his face. He smiled back at him, then gave the wing one last stroke before standing up. "It's pretty late now. I've got school tomorrow, so I need to sleep. If you need anything in the night, just call me, ok. Goodnight, Yami."

"Goodnight, Yugi," Yami replied, and watched the boy leave him once again. When he was sure the boy was out of hearing range, he let out a deep sigh. Those fingers just felt really good on his wings. He wanted Yugi to come back and pet his wings again. He sighed again, and draped his arm across his face. Today was just so strange. Yami turned off the lights, and looked outside again. He could hear Yugi's soft breathing from another room, the boy fast asleep. He felt sleep wash over him as well, and his eyes drooped shut. "Maybe I should stay here a few more days. Maybe I should stay with Yugi a few more days. It's not so bad here. Not with him around." That said, the Shadow closed his eyes, and let himself drift off.


	3. Strange Thoughts and School Days

disclaimer: don't own, don't sue.

"speech"

'thoughts'

Chapter 3: Strange Thoughts and School Days

* * *

A soft beeping woke Yami from his sleep. The faint noise brought him out of his dream and him back to the real world. When he opened his crimson eyes, he had to take a moment to adjust to the light that shone in from the window. He sleepily moved his eyes across the room in confusion, since nothing looked familiar. As the last bits of sleep left his body, he finally remembered where he was. 'This is the human's house,' he thought, as the previous night's events came back to him. 'For a while I thought it was all a dream.' He was jerked from his thoughts when he heard noises coming from another part of the house. 'Damnit, what was that kid's name again? Oh, right. It was Yugi. The human's name is Yugi. And this is his room.' He tried to sit up, but felt pain radiate from every part of his body. He cursed pretty loudly, and heard the noises stop for a moment before they resumed.

Once he was sure that Yugi wasn't going to come running in, the Shadow began to stretch his injured limbs, trying to work through the pain that stabbed at every inch of his body. It took some time but once he couldn't feel the pain anymore, either from his body going numb or him getting used to it, he stood up. His right wing was still wrapped around his chest, the left one sagging to the ground. He lightly tapped the left one, wincing when the pain shot through it, making his shoulder turn numb. 'Still broken. I should be glad that the other one is fine, but this still isn't good.' He unfurled his right wing, the black feathers brushing against his chest. He folded the wing on his back, and tried to bring the broken up to join it's partner, but when he tried to lift it, he cried out. 'Well, that was stupid,' he thought as he bit his lip to keep from crying out more.

"Yami?"

The Shadow turned towards the door to find the human boy standing there, concern in his eyes. "Yes?"

"Are you ok? I heard you cry out." Yugi said as he stepped closer to the other male. Yami just nodded his head quickly, since he didn't want to worry the other boy. He really was fine; he was just paying for being stupid and trying to move a broken limb. "I'm fine, Yugi. I just made a stupid mistake."

"Oh. But what are you doing up? You know you are not supposed to strain yourself. Otherwise your wounds won't heal," the human said as he gently pushed Yami back towards the bed. He could feel the king stiffen under his touch, and quickly removed his hands. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I'm just not used to having a human touch me." Yami gazed at the boy in front of him, staring deep into the violet orbs that stared back at him. There was a moment of silence between the two, where it seemed as if neither could figure out what to say next. After a few minutes, Yugi averted his gaze and looked at the ground instead. "Well, I have to head out for school now. I brought up some things for you incase you get hungry or thirsty during the day." Yugi had brought in plenty of snacks and drinks to last Yami through the day. Yugi was heading to the gym with his friends after school, but wasn't planning on staying out too late tonight.

"Oh," said Yami, sounding a little disappointed. He really didn't want to be in the house all by himself for the whole day. He never liked being alone, and the company of a human was better than sitting in the house by himself. He could just imagine himself going crazy from the silence. Yugi could instantly tell that Yami wasn't happy at all with this new situation, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it. Mid terms were coming in a few weeks, and Yugi couldn't afford to miss classes right now. And he had a lot to study too; college really was no joke. "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay here, but-"

Yami raised a hand to silence the boy. "No, I understand. You have an obligation." He wasn't going to make the kid skip school. It wouldn't be responsible of him.

"I'll come back as soon as I can. You'll be ok here, right?"

"Of course I will. Now you go. I don't want you getting in trouble because I made you late."

Yugi smiled at him, and turned to walk out the door. He stopped, then turned around again. "Oh, Yami. One last thing. Don't. Get. Up," he said as he glared at the other male, the promise of punishment if Yami disobeyed in his violet eyes. With that he waved good-bye and ran out the door, down the stairs, and outside before the Shadow could even blink. Once he snapped out of his surprise, he laughed. He was not exactly sure what was so funny, but something about Yugi's personality was just…refreshing. He seemed like a genuinely good person with no ulterior motives, and Yami was grateful to be under the care of someone like him.

"I wonder what his school is like," he thought out loud. He had never gone to a school with others before. Because he had been the prince, he had always been privately tutored. Though he absolutely hated it, and most times he had wished to be with other children his age. The tutors had been so boring, droning on about events that he was not interested in. He'd have chosen a school full of children any time. Yami now lay back down on the bed, and placed his arms under his head. His right wing was stretched along the wall, and the tips just barely brushed the ceiling. His injured wing was once again spilling over the edge of the bed, covering the floor. Yami tried to move it slightly, but wasn't able to do much more than an inch or two before it started really hurting. Once he was done testing his poor, broken wing, he sighed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Boredom was the one thing Yami could not stand. He hated not having things to do, and right now he was beginning to feel a bit stir crazy. But he wasn't about to go searching through Yugi's home for something to interest him. That would be more than rude.

Yami let his thoughts drift here and there, but didn't really settle on anything to think about in particular. The most frequent thought that popped into his head was how much he wanted his wounds to heal quickly. Yami was trained in advanced healing magic, but he just wasn't strong enough right now to do much before it would wear him out. Not to mention the injury to his wing would require actual healers who knew how to set it properly. So Yami was left waiting for his wounds to heal slowly, without the help of any magic. But he was glad that Yugi knew how to treat wounds.

Suddenly he remembered why Yugi knew how to treat wounds so well, and he wasn't at all happy anymore. Just the idea of someone being mean to Yugi was enough to make him upset. The fact that some assholes had left marks on the poor kid actually had Yami feeling a bit of rage build up inside him. How many more wounds was Yugi sporting? Yami had only seen one arm, but he had to assume that Yugi had other injuries over his body. Now he felt like tracking down those creeps and making them suffer. They had no right hurting someone as innocent and kind as Yugi. Yami would make sure those boys got their punishment.

Yami stopped that train of thought suddenly, and had to calm himself down. Why did he feel so protective of Yugi all of a sudden? He was only a human after all. Yami should hate him, not try to keep him safe. Yami was pretty sure his friends would get on his case about worrying over a human. 'I really need to stop this. I can't forget what they did in the past. Just keep thinking bad thoughts about them.' But try as he might, he just couldn't bring himself to hate the teen. Not after everything Yugi had done to take care of him. Though he had only known the boy for a day, Yami felt strangely at ease around the boy. That wasn't what was worrying him, however. Yami had noticed that, for some reason, he had been acting strange whenever Yugi was around. He felt a tingling sensation whenever Yugi smiled at him, and the boy's laughter made his spirits rise. Looking into Yugi's eyes would leave this strange, bubbly feeling in his chest. Not to mention the pleasurable feeling he got when the boy touched his wing. Though he tried to pass that one off as his wing being overly sensitive, he knew it was because of him. "There has to be something wrong with me," Yami said as he closed his eyes. "Perhaps the blood loss has made me delirious? I can't figure out what else it could mean."

... ... ... ...

Yugi was walking across campus slowly, since he still had plenty of time before his next class. He was too engrossed in his thoughts to really pay attention to any of his surroundings. 'I really didn't want to leave Yami all alone, but I have no choice. If I had stayed home, Jou and the others would have come by and they would have seen him. I'm not going to put him in any danger, since he's already hurt enough as it is.' As Yugi turned around the corner of the library, he saw his friends waiting for him at their usual spot under a large oak tree. 'Oh joy. It looks like Honda and Jou have gotten into another argument. I just hope they don't drag me into it.' He greeted Ryou, then turned to watch the two idiots fight. Finally after a few minutes of watching fists fly, Yugi coughed to get their attention. The two boys stopped their fight and looked over to the smaller boy. The smiled in embarrassment and broke apart, trying to act mature now.

"You two are going to get killed one of these days. And I won't be crying at your funeral," Yugi said as he rolled his eyes and started walking away. Jou and Honda hung their heads in shame, while Ryou struggled to keep in his laughter. The three followed the boy as they walked towards their school. "By the way, where is Malik?"

Jou shrugged as he fixed his clothes. But no matter how hard he tried to straighten them, they were a wrinkled mess now. "I haven't seen him yet. Is he going to skip his classes today?"

Ryou shook his head, his silver hair falling in front of his eyes. "He called me earlier, and said he was going to be late. Though he didn't say why," he said.

"He probably just wanted to sleep in, the lazy ass," Jou said. Malik had a bad reputation of avoiding school work as much as possible. He'd been that way since high school. But he somehow managed to pass all his classes. Not only did he pass them, but he always managed to get exceptional grades. Yugi never understood how he did it.

"Who are you calling lazy!" said another voice from behind them. The four of them turned around to look at the boy standing there. Lavender eyes were narrowed in a glare at the blonde boy. "For your information, my motorcycle wasn't working properly. It took me almost two hours to finally get it working."

"Why didn't you call me? I could have come over to help," Honda replied, since he was the only other person in the group who drove a motorcycle. The rest were perfectly content to drive cars. "I could have even picked you up to bring you here."

"You drive too slow."

"I drive the speed limit."

"Like I said, too slow."

"Malik, people appreciate it when you don't run them over," Ryou said, receiving a very scary smile from the tanned boy. Ryou decided to drop the subject right there. He'd heard Malik's twisted opinions on other people's safety more than enough times to know when to stop a conversation from heading into that territory.

The boys hung out underneath the oak tree for a while longer before they all had to head to class. Yugi headed to his literature class, followed by Malik and Jou. But he'd stopped paying attention to those two, and was once again distracted by thoughts of how Yami was handling himself. He managed to focus on the lecture for about ten minutes before he was completely distracted. The boy stared out the window as the teacher's voice started to fade. 'I wonder how Yami is right now. I hope he hasn't tried to get up. If I get home and he's reopened his wounds, I'm going to be very upset.' The boy sighed, and rest his head on his arms without thinking about how he looked to the rest of the class. 'He seems to be healing, but very slowly. The wounds on his arms and legs are almost gone, but the ones on his chest are taking longer. Then there's his wing. I can't tell if it's healing or not. I wish I could help him more, but I don't know anything about wings.'

"-ugi. Yugi. Yugi Mouto!" He was suddenly aware of a person blocking his vision. He looked up and into the angry eyes of the teacher. Yugi suddenly knew he was in trouble, and that there was no way to get out of it. "Is there something out there more interesting than my lecture, Mr. Mouto?"

"N-no sir," Yugi responded, blushing profusely. He could hear Malik and Jou snickering beside him, and had the urge to turn around and smack them over the head. But he would only get in more trouble. This teacher was a complete ass, but it was too late to drop the course and add a new one. It was only a basic college literature class! No reason for him to act so serious about it! Besides, it was all stuff they had gone over in high school! Greek mythology and the like. Yugi knew it all by heart by now, so he really didn't feel like there was a need for him to be engrossed in the books.

"I advise you refrain from day dreaming in class, unless you want your participation grade to drop." Yugi hung his head in embarrassment and could only mutter a 'no sir'. It wasn't as if he was the only person day dreaming in this class! "Fine. Now go up to the front of the class and read the chapter for us." Yugi's amethyst eyes widened. Read in front of the class! That was worst possible thing to ask of him. He hated drawing attention to himself. And to make things worse, he had no idea where they were. That's it, the teacher had just made his list. "Chapter 15, Mr. Mouto," the teacher said with a sigh.

The boy nodded, and walked up to the front. He looked around, feeling nervous now that everyone was staring at him. He heard someone laugh, and turned towards the back of the room. He locked eyes with Ushio, his personal tormentor since high school. Yugi really hated having class with the bastard, but since it was such a low level literature course, pretty much everyone he knew from high school was in this class. He felt a fearful shiver run down his spine when the other boy smirked at him, his black eyes full of malice. He could tell Ushio was enjoying seeing him being picked on by the teacher. "Today, Mr. Mouto," the teacher said, annoyance in his voice. Yugi looked at him and nodded again. He began to read from the book, but in his nervousness he kept stumbling over the words. He could hear Ushio and his friends laughing at him, and that only made things worse.

The teacher wasn't happy with Yugi's performance and told him to have a seat a few moments later. Yugi sighed in relief, glad that the torture was over, and rushed to his seat. As he walked to his desk, he saw one of Ushio's friend's stick his foot out to trip him, but a kick to his shin from Malik allowed the small boy to pass without trouble. He smiled in thanks to the platinum blonde boy who gave him a thumbs up. He sat back down in his desk, and went through the rest of the class without any trouble.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful after that episode. Yugi had gone to all of his classes and had done his best to pay attention in all of them. It was hard, since he was constantly wondering if Yami had gone and hurt himself more. Yugi honestly didn't know why he was so damn worried about the Shadow. It wasn't as if Yami couldn't take care of himself. He was damn sure old enough to know how to treat his wounds if he hurt himself more. Not to mention that he probably knew some weird magic to help him out. So Yugi had spent the past hour trying to convince himself that Yami was perfectly capable of handling himself. It was about mid afternoon now, and Yugi was heading to the gym with the rest of the group. Malik had been on this exercise kick lately, and he was determined to make everyone go with him every other day.

Right now Ryou was complaining about how sore he was from the past few weeks. He probably hated exercise more than anyone else in the group, and made sure to let Malik know how much of a bastard he was. "How can you say that? Physical fitness is very important," Malik said as he practically skipped towards the locker room.

"The only reason you drag us out here every day is because you like watching us suffer," Jou said as he stretched his very sore limbs. At least Malik wasn't a drill sergeant about exercise. As long as they all showed up and made an attempt, he was ok with it. For the most part. "And what's wrong with that?" Malik said with a scoff as he quickly changed and stretched while waiting for the others.

"How about everything," Yugi muttered. Malik just snickered and ruffled Yugi's hair playfully. Yugi slapped his hand away as he continued to get dressed. Malik continued snicker, and began poking fun at Yugi. "I could be a lot worse you know," Malik said with a devious smile. "I could be making you do a boot camp style regiment. You know, making you lift heavy weights and things like that."

"As if that scrawny girl could lift more than half a pound," said a sinister voice from the entrance of the locker room. They all turned around to find Ushio and his gang standing there. Yugi gulped and backed away from them, trying to get as far from them as possible. He didn't like that the only exit was being blocked by those guys. He was doing his best to act like he wasn't freaked out of his mind, but he knew that he wasn't fooling anyone.

"What the fuck do you freaks want?" Honda said as he, Malik and Jou stood in front of Yugi. Ryou was beside Yugi acting as a sort of sturdy rock since he knew that the male really just wanted to bolt out of there as quickly as possible. "I just wanted to personally tell you that because of the shit that one pulled earlier," Ushio said, pointing to Malik who just flipped him off, "that I'm coming after all you little pricks." Ushio had been looking directly at Yugi when he said those words, which really worried Yugi. This didn't seem like it was going to end well.

"He shouldn't have tried to pull that stupid crap in the first place," Malik retorted, still flipping the other man off. He wished he could beat Ushio's face into the ground, then piss on the broken, bloody mess just for a cheap laugh. It would probably make the man look better than he did now anyway. Then again, anything would look better than Ushio's nasty pig face. Ushio just let out a spine chilling chuckle and walked off with his group. Yugi was no longer in the mood to exercise. He wanted to get as far out of this gym as possible, and as far from Ushio as possible.

... ... ... ...

The house was silent, and had been silent for a long time now ever since Yugi left for school. The sunlight streamed through the windows, and gave a nice, warm glow to all the rooms of the house. All except for one room, which had it's curtains drawn back to prevent the sun from shining in. The room was almost pitch black, but that was just how Yami wanted it. Yami stretched his arms as he sat up on the bed, noticing happily that his left shoulder wasn't as painful as before. He could move his wing a little bit more now, without it feeling like it was on fire. Though it wasn't much, it was a start and hopefully soon he'd be able to go back to his home. 'Never thought I'd get homesick. I wonder if the others miss me at all? Knowing them, they are probably having a party. Damn idiots.'

The Shadow chuckled at thought of his friends. Despite the numerous times he and they got into fights, and all of the horrible names he loved to call them, he couldn't ask for better friends. They had been his best friends since he was born. He trusted them with his life, and they had proven their loyalty many times. Though they had also proved how annoying they could be many times as well. Suddenly the thought of going back home didn't seem as wonderful. At least here it was quiet. The crimson eyed king sighed and turned to lay on his stomach, letting his arms dangle from the end of the bed. He sighed again as his gaze traveled over the room. There was absolutely nothing for him to do. He hadn't left the room since Yugi had left for school much earlier in the day. Yami had been feeling a little more drained today than yesterday, and decided it was best not to force himself to move about. He would need all the energy he could get if he wanted to get home quickly. Not to mention Yugi would probably get mad if he caught the Shadow walking about.

Yami smiled at the thought of the boy. He could picture the human now; those bright amethyst eyes narrowed in a glare as he reprimanded him, that cute pout on his lips... 'Whoa! Stop right there! Stop saying he's cute, damnit! He's a HUMAN!' Yami had been having that problem all day. For some reason, every time he thought of Yugi, the word cute would pop into his head a bunch of times. He'd tried his hardest to stop thinking it, but nothing ever worked. To be honest, however, he couldn't deny the fact that the human was pretty cute when he was pouting. He was also cute when he smiled. And when he laughed, it was like the tinkling of bells, soft and sweet.

Yami groaned and pounded his head into the mattress. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked himself, his voice muffled by the mattress. "Maybe I've been slipped some strange drug. Or I'm delirious from my wounds. Those are the only explanations for my behavior." Yami was not going to even consider the fact that he might be attracted to Yugi on any level. It was absolutely not possible! Humans were horrible, violent, arrogant, selfish assholes. To think that Yami was attracted to one was laughable and ridiculous! Even if they didn't hate each other, Shadows and humans could never be together. There were laws to prevent their races from ever having contact with each other. "Once I get better I'll stop thinking such ridiculous thoughts."

But some part deep inside him protested strongly. That part refused to let him forget how he was feeling, despite the rest of him screaming at him for thinking such thoughts. To say he was confused would be a huge understatement. Just because he thought Yugi was cute didn't mean he was attracted to him! Babies, puppies, and kittens were cute, but Yami wasn't attracted to them! And yet here he was, the powerful King, thinking about how cute a human looked when he was angry. It was like a nightmare, only he couldn't wake up. Yami groaned again, and looked over at the clock. The bright neon green lights displayed the time, which read 3:56 PM. Yami sighed in boredom. Yugi hadn't said at what time he'd be coming back, and Yami was dying to have company. How could humans stand it? If he was healed, he would be out flying, or doing something like that. But if he was healed, he wouldn't be here with Yugi.

"Oh, not again! I WILL stop thinking about him!" Yami said as he glared at the floor, determined to get the human from his thoughts. "Think of something else. Think of something else. There has to be something else to think about besides Yugi." But the harder he tried to think of something else, the more he ended up returning to thoughts of Yugi. Yami really needed to get his head checked, because he had clearly gone crazy.

Yami tried desperately to keep himself busy so that he wouldn't end up thinking about Yugi all the time. He had looked around Yugi's bedroom, trying to find anything to keep him entertained. He had flipped through books, looked at pictures, played random games, and did pretty much anything he could to keep himself safe from the thoughts in his head. He had found a small book that said 'private' on the cover, and was sorely tempted to open it. But he had placed it back where he found it. He wouldn't invade the human's privacy…though he really wanted to. Yami was trying to figure out what to do next when he heard the sound of a door close from downstairs. If he could have, he would have leapt for joy. At least now he wouldn't be bored anymore. Suddenly he realized he was standing in the middle of the room, and dove into the bed, trying to make it seem like he had spent the entire day there. But a quick look around the room that was now littered with books and game pieces, and he knew his plan wouldn't succeed. He heard the footsteps coming up the stairs, and a second later, Yugi appeared in the doorway. He smiled at the boy, who smiled back. "Hi Yami. Dark enough in here?" the human asked jokingly.

"Sorry, the sun was shining in my eyes," Yami said, trying to keep the boy from noticing the mess on the floor. Unfortunately, Yugi had already seen. Though the human kept his smile, his eyes were full of disappointment. Yugi sighed and shook his head as he tried to make his way to the window to let some light in. "I see you have done some redecorating to my room," Yugi said as he stepped over a game box.

"Um…about that-" Yami started, but was cut off when Yugi raised his hand.

"It's ok. I wouldn't want to be stuck in bed all day either. You must have been really bored." Yugi never liked being stuck in bed himself, so he completely understood how stir crazy Yami must have been for some form of entertainment.

"You don't know the half of it," the Shadow said, earning a chuckle from his smaller look-a-like. The king could feel butterflies in his stomach, but he quickly crushed them. He was not going to deal with that nonsense right now. Especially not with Yugi around. "How was your day?" Yami was going to let Yugi do all of the talking, because Yami was afraid he might mention something about the problems he was currently dealing with.

"It was ok. I'm glad it's over. I am sore as hell though," Yugi said while stretching. As if to prove his point, his back cracked quite loudly, and Yugi let out a groan of displeasure. "My friend is trying to kill us with all this exercise nonsense. I don't care how healthy it is, it can't be all that great if it kills you in the process."

"Sounds like you had a fun time," Yami said with a smirk. "Just make sure to stretch after your workouts, and take care that your muscles don't stiffen up and get into knots." Yami exercised every day, and did quite strenuous activities that most humans weren't physically capable of pulling off. So he knew very well how sore one could be after a long workout. But one had to pay a price in order to have the body that Yami sported. He wasn't bulging with muscles, but he was very fit and well defined.

Yugi nodded but then began asking Yami how he had been all day. Yugi wanted to make sure that Yami hadn't hurt himself anymore, especially his wing. It had been bugging Yugi all day not knowing whether or not Yami was ok. Yugi was acting like quite the mother hen without realizing it. Before he could stop it from forming, the thought that this was pretty cute behavior popped into Yami's head. It took some work to clear his head of that nonsense. Yami then silenced Yugi's questions by placing a finger on Yugi's lips. "I'm perfectly fine. You've done a great job taking care of me."

"You're welcome," Yugi said with a bashful smile, really trying to fight down the blush that was trying to get out. He just hoped that Yami couldn't see it in the dark room. "Well, I better-" Just then Yugi's cell rang. He flashed an apologetic smile to the other and answered. "Hello? No, not today. I have something to do," Yugi said as he looked at Yami. "Yea, I'm busy. Maybe tomorrow. Ok, bye." Yugi hung up and looked back at Yami, and upon seeing the Shadow watching him, felt another blush creep up his cheeks. 'Why the hell am I blushing so much now? He must think I look crazy, blushing for no reason.' Yugi was aware that he only started blushing when Yami touched his lips, but he too was in the stage of denial.

While Yugi was talking to the person, Yami was trying to figure out if he had seen a blush on Yugi's cheeks or if he had just imagined it. 'But why would I imagine that?' he asked himself. 'I thought I was past the part about thinking like that about him.' The good thing was that the room was pretty dark, and Yugi head had been pointed down. But Yami knew he was making excuses, since he could see perfectly well in the dark. He was trying his best to deny seeing Yugi's blush because he refused to let that little voice in his mind start talking, or he might end up coming to a realization that he wasn't ready for. "Was that a friend?"

"Yea. My friend Jou asked if I wanted to go to the movies with him and my other friends."

"So why didn't you go?"

"Because, I have to study. Besides, I'm not going to leave you by yourself again for who knows how long. I'll come back to my whole house destroyed." Yugi then stood up and stretched his arms above his head, moaning in relief when the tension in his shoulders vanished. "I'm going to get a snack. Want something?"

"I don't eat human food," Yami said, screaming at himself mentally for feeling his heart race when the human moaned. What the fuck was all that about? Yami was getting really sick and tired of his body having these strange reactions to every little thing Yugi did. It was getting really hard to act like it meant nothing.

"Oh come on. It's cookies. They are really good," Yugi said, prodding Yami on the arm non stop. It took some convincing for Yami to finally agree to try one. He had eaten human food once before, and had absolutely hated it. Ever since then, he'd sworn off human food for good. But Yugi wasn't about to give up, and was quite pleased when he got Yami to agree. "Ok. I'll be right back," Yugi said as he started to walk out the room. But the amount of objects on the floor combined with the fact that it was dark in there, proved perilous as Yugi tripped on a box and started to fall. But just as he was ready to hit the ground, he found himself wrapped in two strong arms, being held close to a warm body that had the scent of warm cinnamon. It took a second for Yugi to realize what had happened, and he lifted his head to look into deep crimson eyes.

"Are you ok?" Yami asked. He was glad he had caught the boy. Yugi probably wouldn't have gotten more than a bump if he had fallen, but Yami had the feeling that he would have been quite upset if Yugi had gotten hurt even the tiniest bit. Yami noticed that his body had tensed up quite a bit, but now that there was no immediate danger he let himself relax.

It took Yugi a second to come back to his senses. It was then that he realized that he was still in Yami's arms. "Um…y-yea. I'm fine. Thanks for catching me," Yugi said as he pulled away from the other before he began blushing badly. He could already feel his cheeks start to get warm. That was the last thing he wanted Yami to see. "I guess I should look out where I'm going, huh?" he chuckled.

"Sorry. It's my fault." Yami should have cleaned up the room once he had finished using everything. He felt bad that he could have hurt Yugi, even though it had been completely unintentional. Yugi just shook his head and started for the door. "Anyway, I'll go get the cookies." He walked quickly out of the bedroom, and headed to the kitchen. As soon as he was downstairs, he stopped fighting his body and felt his face heat up with a deep, dark blush. 'Jeez! What's the matter with me? All he did was catch me in his arms! And here I am blushing so much I probably look like a cherry. I've got to be going crazy.' Yugi was not letting himself think about how nice Yami smelled, or how warm he was. No, he wasn't going anywhere near those thoughts, because they would not lead anywhere good.

Upstairs Yami was deep in his own thoughts, since they had become too loud and persistent to ignore anymore. 'He's so soft and warm,' the king thought as he sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. That was the first thing he had noticed about Yugi. The second was how Yugi had fit perfectly into Yami's arms. The boy was just the perfect size to be in Yami's embrace like that. It had felt perfectly natural to hold Yugi, as if it were something that they had done for ages. The blush that covered Yugi's cheeks was like the icing on the cake; it just made the boy look really cute. Yami was no longer just frustrated by these thoughts; he was now starting to get pretty worried. 'I really hope that this is just a one time thing. These strange feelings can't continue. I don't want to think about what will happen if they don't go away quickly.'

After some time Yugi came back into the room, but only after he made sure that he was no longer blushing. He didn't want Yami to tease him because of it. Little did he know that Yami was far too busy with his own thoughts to think about teasing Yugi for blushing. Neither said anything for a moment, since it was a bit awkward right now. But Yugi was the first to break the silence, since he didn't want it to get even worse. It worked pretty well, and soon the two were talking normally as if that little event hadn't happened. They were just hoping to put it behind them, and move on.

They spent quite some time talking and enjoying each other's company. Yami had tried a cookie, an 'Oreo' is what Yugi had called it, and it was actually pretty good. He wasn't going to suddenly admit that human food was amazing, but he couldn't deny that these cookies were good. Yugi though had to tell Yami the proper way of eating an Oreo. "Pay attention," he said as he held a cookie up. "I'm going to teach you the correct way to eat this." Yami just nodded, since he had no idea that there was a 'correct' way to eat a cookie. Leave it to humans to make things complicated.

Yugi described the right way to eat an Oreo, by first taking it apart and licking the icing off, then dunking the cookie into a glass of milk. Yami had been paying attention up until step two. Yami just stared at Yugi as the human proceeded to lick the rest of the icing off, following every movement the small, pink tongue made. He could feel his heart start racing again, and averted his gaze, looking instead at the half empty plate of cookies. "That's interesting." That was the only thing Yami could say. Right now his head was filled with pretty inappropriate things, that he would under no circumstances say to anyone ever. Now he wished for those innocent thoughts of how cute Yugi looked when he was smiling. Yami couldn't get rid of those thoughts for the rest of the night, even as Yugi headed off to bed and fell asleep. Yami was stuck awake for quite some time working things out in his head. He needed to come up with an answer soon.

... ... ... ...

The flicker of a torch was all that illuminated the dark room, casting dark shadows on the floor and walls, making them dance across the room. A lone figure stood at the center, standing near a table and studying it's contents. Dark brown hair was pushed behind the figure's ear, revealing ice blue eyes. The eyes were full of seriousness, pouring over the map that lay before him. The noise of a door opening alerted him to company. "Have you found anything yet?" the figure asked the new comer. The second figure shook his head, blonde hair falling in front of lavender eyes, as he turned behind him towards another figure. The third figure also shook his head, brown eyes looking over at the table, pushing silver hair out of his sight.

"Has every place been marked?" the third figure asked.

"Not all. The woods to the east and the north have not been checked completely."

"My troops are searching the north woods now," said the figure with blonde hair. "They haven't found any sign of him yet, though."

"Do you think he's somewhere else?" the one with silver haired one asked.

"No. Every other place has been searched," the brown haired one replied. "Everywhere except the woods that border the human city."

"You don't think it's possible he's there, do you?" the silver haired one asked.

"No way! The Master knows better than to fly towards a human city, even if he wasn't thinking clearly," the blonde said quickly.

"But we can't rule it out. He might not have known it was the human border," the brunette said. "And we must search there as well."

"Where was his last scent?"

"Outside the human city," the silver haired said.

"What if he was found? What if the humans are keeping him captive?"

"Then we will have to attack. We must get the Master back at all costs."

"So that means that we will have to go to the city and search for him."

"I'll call my troops from the north," the blonde said.

"I'll get some of my men to go as well," the one with silver hair said.

"No. It will only be the three of us," the brunette corrected. "We must go now. The Master's life is at stake."

With that, the three unfurled their wings, and flew off into the night sky, towards the sleeping city.


	4. Confusion and Confrontation

Star: HIYA!. :bounces up and down:

Yugi: Why are you so excited?

Star: **MY BIRTHDAY IS THIS FRIDAY!**

Yami: Are you going to get fat on cake?

Star. :glare: One of these days, Yami. Just you wait.

Yami: Ooo, look at me, I'm shaking in my boots.

Star. :glares more: SHADDUP! Anyway, as my present to you guys for being such great readers, I have decided to update! YAY! This chapter was written pretty fast actually, considering how long it is. 30 PAGES! That's the longest I've ever written! So please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I HATE ALLLAWERS, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL RETARDED PIECES OF MONKEY LUMPS! don't own yugioh.

"speech"

'thoughts'

((Confusion and Confrontation))

The soft beeps from the alarm clock aroused Yugi from his deep sleep, and his slender, pale hand reached out from the covers to smack the offending machine to the floor. The rest of the body was soon revealed as light blue sheets were also thrown to the floor. Those same small hands rubbed sleepy amethyst eyes, and a yawn escaped rosy lips. The boy stood up slowly, and shuffled towards his closet, and picked up his school uniform. He then proceeded to walk to the bathroom, barely managing to escape the door post in his drowsy state.

As Yugi walked to the bathroom, he passed by his bedroom, which was now occupied by Yami, the Shadow King. The young human peeked into the room, and a soft smile graced his lips as he looked upon the peaceful slumber of the other male. Yami's face was relaxed, his long black eyelashes resting gently on the golden skin, with the faintest of smiles on his lips. His left hand was lightly fisted around the sheets, which were half off the bed. The broken left wing was hanging off the bed, placed delicately so that there would be no pain. Yami's right wing was again draped across his chest, the black feathers brushing against the skin with each breath. Yami's breathing was smooth and even, indicating that the Shadow had not yet returned to the waking world.

'He looks so peaceful lying there,' Yugi thought, leaning against the door frame to admire the other more. 'Like he has no troubles at all. He is very handsome, he should be like this more. Wait…handsome? Where did that come from! I must still be half asleep!.' Yugi rushed to the bathroom, and when he looked into the mirror, he found a deep red blush covering his face. Just looking at the mirror made him blush more. 'What has gotten into me? I can't go around thinking he's handsome. But…I can't deny that he is. Wait, wait, WAIT! I should NOT be thinking this!' The boy let out an exasperated sigh, and he turned around to take a bath.

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Yami slowly woke up, his crimson eyes squinting as the sunlight shone into them. He yawned, then sat up and stretched his arms, feeling knots in his shoulders disappear. He gently moved his left wing, smiling at the lack of pain. He flapped it slowly, the movements coming easier now. Yami let out a content sigh, happy that he was recovering.

He heard the faint sound of water falling, and looked towards the door. He picked up the scent of strawberries around it, and it got stronger in the direction of the noise. 'Yugi must be taking a shower,' he thought. Thinking about the human boy brought back memories from his dream. For some reason at the end, he imagined that Yugi stood over him, watching him with a caring smile. It was almost as if the boy was standing guard over him, making sure that nothing disturbed him. Yami wouldn't have been too surprised to find that his dream was true. The boy was so caring, that he probably _would_ have stayed up all night to make sure that he was sleeping peacefully.

The king sighed and fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It didn't surprise him to think of Yugi watching over him, but it did surprise him that Yugi still cared. He had been caring for him for more than two weeks, and still the human did not give up. It was unusual to find someone like that in the modern world. But Yami was glad that he had been found by Yugi. He wondered why he was so comfortable around the human. It was as if they had been friends forever. 'Why do I think of him as a friend? It is impossible, and even if I _did_ wish it, we can never be friends. One month ago I would have killed anyone who told me that I'd think of a human as a friend, but now that it's happening, I find that I accept it. Why is it so easy for me to accept? Why is he different?'

Yami was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the sound of the bathroom door open, or the light footsteps coming closer. He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice what was coming till it was too late. Suddenly water came crashing down on his face, jerking him violently from his mind. As he tried to wipe it off, he heard light laughter coming from the bedside. He turned to glare at Yugi, but found it hard to stay mad at the boy when his amethyst eyes were glowing so brightly with joy.

"Thanks for the wake up call," Yami said sarcastically.

"You're very welcome," Yugi said, his smile lighting up his face. "What were you doing, just staring up at the ceiling?"

"Thinking about stuff."

"Stuff sounds like a very interesting topic."

"You should read up on it some time."

"I would, but I'm very busy. We're not all old geezers like you who have all the time in the world."

Yami smirked at him, and the boy stuck his tongue out playfully. Yami got up off the bed, growling playfully. Yugi squeaked in surprise, making Yami's smirk widen. "Oh, Yugi. Come here a sec," the King said, waving the boy closer.

"Would you look at the time! I should go get ready for school now," Yugi said laughing nervously, all the while backing away from the approaching Shadow. He turned to rush from the room, when he was swiftly pulled back into the other man's embrace. "Y-Yami? Come on, y-you know I didn't mean it."

Yami just smirked, and leaned his face close to Yugi's, who gulped nervously, blushing fiercely. Once again, Yami found himself thinking of Yugi as cute. Suddenly, Yugi found himself being tickled senseless by the other, and he couldn't help but laugh. He tried to free himself, but he couldn't break the king's hold. "Y-Yami! Stop! I d-didn't mean it!" he managed to say through giggles.

"I don't know. You called me an old geezer."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Y-you're not old! Y-you're hot and sexy and…p-please s-stop!" Yugi said, feeling like his lungs were going to burst, and his ribs hurt. All of a sudden, the fingers stopped tickling him. Yugi thanked the gods, and stood there in Yami's arms, trying to catch his breath. He thought that would be the last of it for the morning, but he was wrong.

"You know, Yugi," came Yami's voice, purring next to his ear, "you just called me sexy. I'm so glad you think that," the king said, tightening his grip on the poor human boy, letting his fingers glide teasingly across the boy's chest. "I wonder what else you think of me."

"WOW! I AM SOOO LATE! GOTTA GET TO SCHOOL BEFORE THE BELL RINGS!" Yugi said, yelling loudly, trying to cover up his more than obvious embarrassment. He broke free, trying to hide the blush that Yami had already seen. Yugi raced to the other room, grabbed his things, and with a loud goodbye, rushed down the stairs and out of the house.

Yami stood in the middle of the room, amazed that someone could run that fast. He let out a calm sigh, but inside he was anything but calm. The King couldn't believe that Yugi had just called him hot and sexy. Though it was probably just said so that he could be freed. Still, Yami would be hard pressed to say it didn't affect him. In fact, his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest at any second. Did Yugi really mean it, or did he just say that to be let go? "Why do I care so much? Is it really that important to me? Why is he so different?" Yami whispered in the quiet house.

000000

Yugi raced down the street, trying desperately to hide the blush from the public. 'Got to get my mind off of that! It was just a joke! Don't take it seriously! He didn't mean it! And it's not like he'd care what I think of him.' Yugi slowed down, and walked with his head hanging slightly, a small frown on his face. 'What he said about humans and Shadows, it sounded like we can't even be friends. Why would he care if I said something like that? Even if it's true. Wait…why am I still thinking that! Gah! Yami is just so…GAH! I can't wait to get to school! Then I can get my mind off of him!'

Yugi walked into the school gates, glad that he now had something to think of other than Yami. Yugi walked with his head still down, so he didn't notice the person in front of him till it was too late. He collided into said person, sending the two sprawling to the ground. Yugi sat up, rubbing his head, not realizing he was on top of the other.

"Hey…Yugi?"

Yugi's eyes opened, locking on the lavender eyes below him. Yugi's own violet eyes widened in surprise. "M-Malik?"

"Yugi, I like you, but if our relationship ever took this turn, _I_ would be on top," the Egyptian said smirking, causing the blush to reappear on Yugi's face.

"Not again!" Yugi yelled getting off of Malik, covering his face with his hands. "My face is going to be permanently red!"

"You ok, Yugi?" Malik said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You…you…PERVERT!" Yugi yelled through his hands.

"What can I say? You are just too tempting," Malik said huskily, wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's waist, letting his other hand slide down Yugi's back, causing the younger to squeak in surprise.

"M-Malik, no teasing now!" Yugi said, walking away from the blonde.

"Aww! But I can't start my day without the usual morning teasings," Malik said walking behind the boy, hanging his head down and pouting like a little kid.

"You can have them at lunch," Yugi said, rolling his eyes at the antics of the other boy, yet he couldn't help the smile that broke out. To tell the truth, he actually looked forward to the teasings from Malik. It was something they shared by themselves, and despite how embarrassing they sometimes could get, it was still fun. Unfortunately, he had already been teased enough by Yami.

"Promise!" Malik asked, his lavender eyes lighting up like the sun, and a huge smile appearing. When Yugi nodded, Malik squealed in joy, and pulled the smaller boy into a massive hug. Yugi could feel his ribs break, but he was used to Malik's tight hugs.

"Well, well. If it isn't the two loverboys," said a malicious voice from behind them. The two boys broke apart from their hug, and turned to look at the speaker. Unfortunately, it was Ushio and his gang. "Why don't you two take your love show to another part? You aren't wanted here."

"Why don't you piss off?" Malik said angrily, shielding Yugi. "No one asked for your opinion. Go away, and take your gang of fuck monkeys with you."

"You better watch your language, punk. Wouldn't want it to come back and kick you…or little Yugi in the ass, now would you?" Ushio said, glancing at Yugi, a strange look in his eyes, and a frightening smile on his face. Yugi gulped, and shrunk back slightly behind Malik.

"Just go away, bastard," the blonde Egyptian said, eyes glowing with rage. He saw the look Ushio had in his eyes, and he knew it didn't bear well for his smaller friend.

"I'll remember what you called me. I also still have to get you back for that kick you gave my friend yesterday. I'd watch your back, both of you." Ushio then walked away, knocking into Malik's shoulder. The rest of his gang passed the two boys by, laughing and jeering at them.

"That damn jackass! He really pisses me off! One day I want to take that fat head of his and ram it into a wall!" Malik said, pounding a fist into his hand.

"Malik?" Yugi said quietly, tugging gently on the blonde's school jacket. Malik looked down, and his anger left when he saw the large violet eyes clouded in fear. The Egyptian frowned, and pulled his friend into a comforting hug.

"Don't worry. They won't get near you," Malik said quietly. "Now come on, or the bell will ring before we can get to class." Malik wrapped an arm around Yugi's waist, drawing him inside the building. He tickled the boy's side, trying to get Yugi's mind off of Ushio. It worked as Yugi's giggles echoed down the hall.

000000

Yami paced around the room, his wings flapping gently behind him. All attempts of trying to get the young human from his mind had failed, so he resigned himself to thinking of him. The poor king was more confused than he had ever been. Never in his nine thousand plus years had he ever encountered someone like Yugi, so he didn't know how to handle it. The fact that Yugi was _human_ added to the confusion.

"What is different about him? Why can't I forget about him? He's nice, and has a big heart. He's very innocent, and cares for others more than himself. He…he has a nice smile. It seems to light up his face, making those deep amethyst eyes of his shine so brightly. When he smiles, I can't help but smile back. When he laughs, it sounds like delicate bells. His laughter makes me feel…warm inside. He is really cute when he blushes…cute? More like adorable. I can't believe it, but I love seeing that soft pale skin turn red. He's so cute when he's embarrassed. And when he pouts he's even more adorable. And two days ago, when he was sad, it was like my own heart was breaking. I don't like seeing him sad. But why? He makes me feel so strange. I've never felt like this around anyone. Why does he do this to me? _How _can he do this to me?"

Yami sighed, and walked over to the window, looking outside at the busy city. The bright sun shone on him, and he closed his eyes and stood there, basking in the warmth. He leaned his forehead against the window pane, opened his eyes, and looked out longingly at the sky. He wanted to fly so badly! Yami felt as if he would go crazy if he couldn't get out. Even a quick flight across the block would make him happy. But no, his damn wing had to be broken. His other wounds had healed already, and he felt perfectly fine, but his wing had to be stubborn and decide to stay broken for a bit longer. He didn't have any of the ingredients for a healing spell, and his powerful magic didn't help much either.

"Maybe I can go to the roof. I should at least test out my wing, right?" Yami started to open the window, but stopped. There was no way he could do it now, not in the day where everyone can see him. He'd get in trouble if his council, or his friends found out he flew in broad daylight with humans everywhere. But that wasn't the only reason he decided not to fly, and he knew it. He was worried about what Yugi would say. If Yugi found out that he had been flying, the boy would probably get mad. He would probably say that he was careless, and that he could have been seen. Yugi would then say that he had to wait till his wing was healed. Yugi would definitely be mad.

But if Yami hurt himself even more, Yugi would be worried. The human would be very sad, and Yami didn't want Yugi to be sad. He never wanted to see a frown on those lips. But if he got hurt enough, what would Yugi do? Would he cry? Would the smaller boy shed a tear if Yami was wounded even more? Did Yugi care that much? Either way, there was no way Yami would let tears fall from those large amethyst eyes, especially not if they were over him.

Yami shut the window, and walked away, sitting on the bed. He breathed in Yugi's sweet strawberry scent, which helped to clear his mind. The boy may have confused him, yet at the same time, Yugi made him feel more at peace than he had ever been. Which only served to confuse him more. These feelings weren't right. A human and a Shadow could not ever be together. It was impossible, and illegal. Yami had broken so many rules since he met Yugi that night at the park. Though it's not like he had a choice. He only broke those laws because it was the only way for him to survive. Although as time went on, he found it easier to break them. He kept talking to the boy, and he stayed with Yugi when he should have left him the minute he woke up. But there was one rule he deliberately broke. It was one of the oldest laws of their race, and it said that if a human sees or has contact in any way with a Shadow, that human must be killed instantly. He would, under no circumstances, follow that law. He didn't care what anyone said, and he didn't care if he lost his crown. There was no way, NO WAY, he would follow that law.

Yami sighed. That was a huge law to break, and now he was in a mess. If any other Shadow found them, they wouldn't hesitate to kill Yugi, even if Yami gave the order not to. Yugi was in danger because of him, and Yami hated himself deeply for it. It was bad enough that Yugi was in danger amongst his own kind, but for him to be in danger of death by a Shadow was a horrible thought. 'I shouldn't have come here. It's my fault Yugi is in this. It's not like he asked to find me. I should have stayed at one of the houses back in the Shadow city.'

But it was too late to think about things like that. Yugi found him, Yugi brought Yami into his home, and now Yugi might suffer because of it. Yami didn't know what to do. He could leave right now, fly back to his home, and forget that Yugi existed. Though that was easier said than done, because in the short time they had known each other, Yugi somehow worked his way into the king's heart. Yami didn't realize it till now, but he knew denying it anymore would be pointless. He thought of Yugi as a friend, and a very important one at that. "Who would have guessed it," Yami said with a chuckle. "Me, the King of Shadows, befriending a mortal boy. I thought things like that only happened in fairy tales. Though……I doubt fairy tales are this annoying to go through."

000000

'Thank goodness that class is over! I almost fell asleep five times! Can't she learn to speak with some emotion?' Yugi thought as he raced to his second class of the day. Fortunately for him, it was near his previous classroom, so he didn't have to run like he was in a 100 meter dash. _Un_fortunately for him, he didn't have any of his friends in the next class. Jou and Ryou were two classrooms down, but it wasn't like he could pass a note through a wall.

Yugi took his desk near the back of the classroom, near the window. He heard parts of the conversations of the other students, but he remained silent. He knew the people in this class, and sometimes would talk to them, but he mostly kept to himself. He looked around, noting the teacher wasn't there yet. But that wasn't usual, because teacher always came late to his class. There were a few desks still empty since all the students hadn't arrived yet either.

'Do I have my binder? I hope it's not in my locker. Oh there it is.' Yugi was searching through his bag, when he heard a group of people enter, laughing loudly. His entire body stiffened as he waited for them, mainly Ushio, to pass by his desk. Luckily, they were too busy talking to notice him. Yugi let out a silent sigh when the group passed him. At least he avoided one confrontation. If only all his days could be like that. But Yugi's luck didn't hold out though.

"Well, well. Lookie what we got here," came Ushio's raspy voice from behind Yugi. The other boy was so close, that his breath landed on the back of Yugi's neck. Yugi tried to keep from trembling in fear, and kept his gaze down on his books. He tried to study, but Ushio's presence was distracting him. "Hey! Don't ignore me, shrimp!"

"C-can you p-please leave me alone?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Leave you alone? Did you guys hear that?" Ushio said, as he and his friends started laughing at him. "So you finally decided to grow a backbone. It's a shame that it's too late to change anything. You'll always be a short little coward," the teen said, jabbing Yugi in the back with a pen.

"S-stop it." Yugi said quietly. His complaints only served to drive Ushio on, as the jabbing became much more painful. "Stop it!" Yugi said louder, pushing the pen away, but in the process he hit the Ushio's hand. Suddenly the laughter of the others died down, and Yugi's heart started racing in fear.

"You hit me!" Ushio said, grabbing the front of Yugi's shirt and pulling the boy close. "Who do you think you are, punk! I should beat the shit out of you right now!" Ushio raised his fist, and pulled it back, aiming at Yugi's face.

Yugi squeaked in fright, and closed his eyes. His heart was beating so fast, it felt like it was about to burst. 'No! NO! Where's the teacher? Help me! Someone help me! Jou! Malik! YAMI!'

"Sorry I'm late, kids," the teacher said as he finally entered the class. Yugi said a silent prayer of thanks to all the gods in the universe for sparing him. He felt Ushio's grip release him, and he cautiously opened an eye. He saw that the rest of the boys had gone to their desks, and Ushio was glaring at the top of his desk. Yugi sighed quietly, and faced the front of the classroom. He picked up his pen, but found his hands were trembling strongly.

'O-ok, calm down. It's over…for now. Just act like nothing happened.' Yugi tried to do just that, but he could feel Ushio's glare from behind him. Yugi knew he was in trouble, after all, he had hit Ushio, even if it was unintentional. His only hope for safety was homeroom. Unfortunately, homeroom was only ten minutes long. After that he would be separated from his friends again. It was only eight forty, and class had just begun. Homeroom wasn't for another hour and fourteen minutes, which was plenty of time for some minor torture from Ushio.

Ushio had started to throw little paper balls at the top of his head. One large wad of paper landed on Yugi's desk, and it had the words 'open' written messily on the front. He slowly reached for the note and opened it. It said, 'You are going to get the beating of your life after school. Don't bother making any plans for the next few months, since you'll be dead before today is over. Don't think your little friends can save you. You can't escape. Enjoy your last day.'

Yugi felt his heart stop completely when he read that note, and his breath came out quick and harsh. His entire body started trembling, and he couldn't stop. It was as if his entire brain had shut down. The boy just sat there, staring at the note. He slowly put the note in his pocket, and raised his hand. "Can I go t-to the bathroom?" he asked, trying to keep any hint of fear from his voice.

"Go ahead," the teacher said, and Yugi stood up and walked quickly out of the room, hearing Ushio's quiet laughter follow him. Once out of the room, he raced down the hall to the nearest bathroom. When he got there, he locked himself in a stall, and collapsed on the ground. His breathing came out in hard, rapid gasps, and he felt like throwing up. Yugi felt fear race through his entire body, and it only made him feel sicker. He had never been so afraid.

'This is so unfair! Why me! What did I ever do to him!' Yugi thought as a stream of tears fell from his eyes, and he started to cry silently. He didn't bother wiping them away, so they fell to the floor. 'I hate this stupid place! I hate Ushio! Why can't he just leave me alone!' Yugi sat there on the ground for a few minutes, when he heard the bathroom door open, and footsteps enter. Yugi held his breath, and tried to be as quiet as he could.

"Oh, Yugi. I know you're in here. Why don't you come out and we'll talk," came Ushio's voice. Hearing him only made the fear in Yugi's heart grow stronger. He was in danger now with no one around to save him. Ushio could kill him now and no one would know. "Come on out, Yugi. I just want to talk." The footsteps came closer to his stall, and Yugi could hear the doors to the other stalls being opened. Yugi prayed to every god he could think of that Ushio would skip his stall, but it didn't work. Ushio pushed on the door to his stall, and he smiled when it didn't move. "Found ya. So just open the door, and we'll have a friendly little talk," the other said with false sweetness.

Yugi didn't move, he didn't even breathe. He was so frightened at that moment, that almost every thought had stopped. The boy was in sheer terror, that emotion swirling in his violet eyes as tears continued to fall, and his body was shaking uncontrollably. Yugi curled up into the tightest ball he could manage, hoping that somehow he would disappear, or that he'd wake up and he'd find that this was just a nightmare.

"Come on, shrimp! Open the door! I haven't got all day," came Ushio's voice, the sweetness disappearing. Yugi knew that if he didn't open the door, Ushio would probably break it down, so the small boy stood up, and with a trembling hand, opened the door. He walked out, his head down so as not to look into those frightening black eyes. "Good boy," said Ushio, as he raised his hand and let it rest on Yugi's head. He felt the tremors that flowed through the boy, and he put on a concerned façade. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?"

Yugi didn't move. He just continued to stare at the floor, hoping that the other would just whatever he wanted and leave. He tensed more when the other leaned down close to him. "You should be," the other whispered into his ear. "I'm your worst nightmare. You better tell all your friends goodbye now, because you won't be seeing them anymore." With that, Ushio turned and left.

Once he was gone, Yugi collapsed on the floor, and sobbed even more. He hated his life, hated having to live in fear every day because some jackass decided to make it his life mission to torture him. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to be in the safety of his bed, or in his grandfather's comforting embrace. He felt like running away, but he had no where to run, and even if he did, he knew that Ushio would find him one day. There was no escape to his fate. He got up and splashed some water over his face to take away any signs of crying, and once he looked back to normal, he walked out of the bathroom, and back to his class. Without looking at anyone, he walked to his desk, and tried to listen to the teacher. He felt Ushio's gaze on his back again, but he no longer cared. He glanced out the window, thinking that it would be the last time he saw the sun.

000000

Yami yawned as he lay down on the couch. Around nine thirty he had gotten bored of just staying in Yugi's room, and he wandered around the house. He discovered it to be just like any other house. He had looked into the bathroom, a room that must have belonged to his grandpa, the guest room which Yugi was now in, and then he went downstairs to find a large living room, a fairly big kitchen, and a laundry room. What surprised him though was a door that opened to a second set of stairs below. He followed them down, and found himself in a store. By the looks of the merchandise, it was a store that sold many types of games. Yami was interested, and he looked around the store. He was a master of games, and he had never lost a single game in his life. Not even rock-paper-scissors. He would have to ask Yugi if they could play one later.

Currently, the King was looking out the window at the sky, wondering what he could do next. He was starting to become bored again, and a bored Yami wasn't a good thing. Suddenly his stomach growled, and he rolled his eyes. What a time to become hungry, and since it was day time, he had no moon to get energy from. With an annoyed sigh, Yami stood and walked into the kitchen. He didn't feel like making anything so he skipped the fridge, and opened the pantry. His crimson eyes roamed over the many packages, when one caught his eye. He smiled as he pulled down a pack of Oreos. He took the whole pack to the couch, and sat down to eat them.

He looked at the clock to see that only six minutes had passed, and he groaned. Yugi's school didn't get out till 2:20 in the afternoon. So there Yami sat, bored and alone on a Wednesday morning. 'I wonder what class he's in now. I really wish I could go see what his school looks like. I'm so bored now! Stupid school taking him away from me……I didn't just say that…did I? Gods, not again! This is becoming aggravating!' Yami cursed whatever god decided it would be fun to play with his head. But either way, with Yugi gone, the day was…bleh, to put it best. The day just seemed to drag on _forever_, and Yami couldn't wait till the afternoon. With another sigh, Yami looked around the room, eyes passing over the television, the Playstation 2 which held his attention for a few seconds, the stereo, and finally landed on the fireplace mantle. There were a few pictures there, and the Shadow got up to see them.

There were some pictures of Yugi by himself, and other with his grandfather. But there wasn't a single picture of Yugi's parents. The fact that the boy was an orphan saddened Yami. He no longer had his parents either, but they had died when Yami was at an age where he could still remember them. In human years, he would have been about ten, and now he was about seventeen.

Pushing those thoughts away, Yami continued to look at the pictures. He found one of Yugi as a little boy, and Yami's heart melted on the spot. In the picture, Yugi was about four, and he was standing in front of an ocean. He had on a little, white, short sleeved sailor top with a blue trim, white shorts, and he was barefoot. He had on a small sailor hat, and he was holding it to his head with his tiny hands. The boy's face was small and round, and his eyes seemed to take up most of it. The amethyst orbs shone brightly, and a huge smile was on his lips. Rosy cheeks made his eyes shine even more. He still had some baby fat, so he looked a little chubby, like a baby angel. It was the most adorable thing Yami had ever seen, and the more he looked at it, the more he wished he could pull the little Yugi from the picture, and cuddle him forever. Yami had to avert his eyes from the frame before he started cooing and going 'aww'.

Yami looked at the other pictures, when his eyes landed on one of Yugi surrounded by four other boys. At first glance it seemed like an ordinary picture, but Yami's eyes widened when he saw two familiar faces. He picked up the frame, and stared at it. "That can't be them! They couldn't be there!" Further inspection of the picture proved Yami right. "For a second I thought Bakura and Marik were there. But these two look exactly like them."

Yami looked at the one with long silver hair, soft brown eyes, and pale skin. The boy had a gentle smile, and looked very kind. He was the opposite of Bakura, who also had long silver hair, but it was spiky. Bakura's brown eyes were hard and cold. He was loud, obnoxious, rude, cruel, sadistic, crude, and one of Yami's best friends, though the reason why was an enigma. He was also the fourth of his top council members, because Bakura was the chief general of all of Yami's air force. Not just in Japan, but of the entire world.

The other one had long, slightly spiky blonde hair, light lavender eyes, and tan skin. He had a smirk on, and he looked like a wild person, but if he was Yugi's friend, then he must have been a very good person. It reminded him of his friend called Marik. Marik had extremely spiky blonde hair, dark, cold lavender eyes, and tanned skin. Marik was also obnoxious, cruel, rude, bossy, extremely sadistic, and was one of Yami's best friends, and Yami was also confused as to how. He was also third on Yami's council. Marik was the chief general of Yami's military, and he was in charge of all Shadow military units in the world. Marik was the second oldest of his friends, and Bakura was the third oldest.

The oldest of his friends was one called Seto. Yami couldn't find anyone in the picture who looked like Seto. Seto was much taller than Yami, who was the shortest of all four, which irked him to no end. Seto was a brunette, and he had emotionless sapphire eyes. Seto was quiet, reserved, well mannered, sophisticated, exceedingly intelligent, and the most stuck up prick Yami had ever known. Seto was also Yami's dearest friend, but Yami knew he could trust his life to the others as well. Seto was Yami's personal advisor, and was second on Yami's council. Seto had the most power after Yami, who was, of course, first on the council. Unlike Yami though, they didn't have feathered wings. Only the royal family had feathered wings. All other Shadows in the world had bat-like wings.

Thinking of his friends made Yami homesick, and he started to become sad. He wanted to see his friends again, and hoped that they hadn't given up on him. Yami blinked, and found himself seated on the couch again. He looked back at the picture frame that was still in his hands, and looked at the other two boys. One had shaggy blonde hair, and honey colored eyes. He seemed trustworthy, and a very good person, someone who you could trust your life to. The other had brown hair that stood up in a point at the front, and deep brown eyes. He also seemed to be a kind, loyal friend. Yami was glad that Yugi had these people as friends. They seemed to be wonderful people. One thing Yami prided himself on was his excellent judge of character.

He kept looking at the picture, happy that Yugi was smiling so brightly. The five were in front of an ice-cream store. Yugi was in the middle of them. The blonde with shaggy hair was on Yugi's right, one arm resting on Yugi's shoulder. The one with silver hair was on the right of the blonde. The brunette was on Yugi's left, and the tanned blonde was behind Yugi, his arms wrapped around Yugi's waist. They were all leaning in close to each other, making peace signs at the camera. They looked happy. But Yami couldn't take his eyes off of the tan blonde. The way he was holding Yugi, it looked like more than a friendly hug.

"Are they together? They look like it," Yami said quietly. For some reason, he felt a little sad and jealous. 'Why should I be jealous? If Yugi is with someone, why should it bother me? It's not like I have any deeper feelings for him. I should be happy for him.' But Yami couldn't get rid of the sadness. The only thing that cheered him up was the irony of the situation. It was almost like déjà vu. Almost three thousand years ago, Yami had dated Marik. Strange coupling, yes, but they were together for almost seven hundred years, which was about nine and a half years human time. In the end they decided to stay friends, and they still were. 'This guy better take good care of Yugi. He only deserves the best.'

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The lunch bell rang, and Yugi walked outside to the tree. He sat on the ground, and closed his eyes, letting the cool breeze drift over him. He finally had a chance to relax, and he needed it since his nerves were worn out. He had made it through the day without any more run-ins with Ushio, and he was very glad. Yugi had had to act normal all day long, especially in front of his friends. He and Jou just had their third class together, and he knew that his best friend would notice even the slightest thing wrong. The class had passed by quickly, and now he and Jou were waiting on the other three boys to arrive.

They didn't wait long as they saw Ryou and Honda walk up. Malik was missing from their sights, but he soon made his presence known as he raced up the hill and tackled Yugi. The blonde nearly hugged the poor boy to death, and Yugi had to struggle for breath, but he was glad for the hug. Even though Malik hadn't known, it was just what Yugi needed. Even if it was slightly painful.

"Malik, seriously, one day you are going to break someone's ribs," Honda said as he pulled the Egyptian boy off of Yugi. Malik pouted, but he sat next to Yugi, placing his head on the amethyst eyed boy's shoulder.

"Yugi, remember what you promised this morning," Malik said, poking Yugi lightly in the side, making the smaller teen giggle.

"Yea, yea. I remember," Yugi said smirking. "But after lunch, because I'm starving." Malik pouted again. Yugi just laughed, patting his head, which made the blonde smile. "So how were your classes," Yugi asked the others.

"Boring as hell," Honda said, Malik and Ryou nodding in agreement.

"I thought biology would never end," Ryou said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Mrs. Itaksu just goes on, and on, and on."

"I had her first. That just made me go right back to sleep," Yugi said.

"I had English," Malik said. "I already know Arabic and Japanese, so I don't know why they expect me to learn _another_ language."

"You poor thing. That must have been torture," Yugi said, giving the blonde a hug.

"It was, but just knowing that I could see your cute face after was enough to get me through," Malik said, returning the hug.

"I'm flattered that you complimented me," Yugi said, falling into the grove immediately. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the other three smiling and shaking their heads.

"But of course! You have such a cute little face. And you have a cute little ass too," Malik said, pinching Yugi's butt lightly, making Yugi squeak in surprise.

"Get a room, you two," Jou said, rolling his eyes.

"OK! Come, Yugi. There are a few empty classrooms we could use," Malik said with a wink, tugging on Yugi's arm.

"Not till we're married, Malik," Yugi said with a smirk.

"Then we'll elope!" Malik then stood, picked up Yugi in his arms, and ran off, leaving the other three staring in shock. That was new. They could still hear Malik's crazy laughter and Yugi's giggles even when the two were out of sight.

"So…are we still on for the movies tonight?" asked Honda.

"I am. We just have to ask Yugi if he can go tonight," said Jou.

"That's if we can find him and Malik after this," Ryou said, shaking his head, though he was smiling. "Really, those two are so crazy."

"Yugi was not like that before Malik came here. He was so innocent too, but Malik corrupted his mind. I've lost my best friend to a lunatic!" Jou said in despair, hanging his head.

Fifteen minutes before lunch ended, Malik and Yugi walked back up the small hill. Actually, Yugi was riding piggyback on Malik. They looked a complete mess, their shirts wrinkled, and their jackets falling off. Their hair was disheveled, and there were bits of grass and twigs sticking out. Their faces were red, and their breathing came out in pants, but their faces were lit up in smiles.

"Jeez! Had fun, guys?" Honda asked, as he, Jou, and Ryou tried to keep in their laughter.

"Yup! Yugi here is a feisty one!" Malik said. Yugi gave them another smile.

"I'm guessing you two had so much _fun_ that now Yugi can't walk, right?" Jou asked with a smirk.

"Yes, I'll be limping for days," Yugi said, returning the smirk.

"I didn't hear you complain once," the Egyptian said, poking Yugi's leg.

"But how could I complain, Malik? I was too busy screaming your name," Yugi replied, the smirk growing more perverted.

"All right! Too much on that subject!" Ryou said, covering his ears. "But seriously, what did you two do?"

"Do you _really_ want to know," Malik and Yugi asked at the same time. The three other boys quickly shook their heads, making the other two laugh.

"Getting off that topic, you two still going to the movies?" asked Honda.

"I am. What about you, Yugi?" Malik asked, letting the other boy down.

"Tonight? I don't know, I'm a bit tired," Yugi said quietly.

"I didn't wear you out that much, did I?" Malik said, earning a light punch to his side.

"No! I've just been tired all day. I'll probably take a nap when I get home, so if I'm still tired after that, I won't go.

"But it won't be as fun without you. Who's going to help me throw popcorn at couples making out?" Malik said with a pout.

"Why don't you ask Jou?"

"Are you kidding? I don't want to get kicked out. But…it's really funny to see them get mad," Jou said, a smile working its way to his face.

"Exactly!"

"I'm surrounded by morons" Ryou groaned.

'I can't tell them why I can't go tonight,' Yugi thought as he looked at his friends. 'I don't want them to get involved in this. I'll just have to get home quickly and stay there all night.' Yugi felt fear creep into his heart again, and he could feel the note Ushio wrote in his pocket. It felt like each word weighed a hundred pounds. 'I'll have to ask Malik or Honda for a ride, because Ushio might be waiting in an alley. But what if he tries to get me when I'm entering the house? What if he breaks in? Wait…why am I worrying? Yami is there. I'm sure Yami will protect me.' Thinking of the Shadow made all the fear vanish immediately, and Yugi was left feeling safe and comforted.

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2:20. 2:20. 2:20. It was 2:20. Two twenty in the afternoon. Twenty past two. Forty minutes to three. 2:20……and Yugi wasn't back! Granted his school had probably just gotten out, but still! Yami was booored! He felt like pouting and throwing a tantrum like a little kid until Yugi got back. But of course, that wasn't dignified for King Yami, Master of the Shadows to do. But……he so wanted to.

Yami had been bored since one, and now it was becoming annoying. He had eaten all the Oreos he could find, and even some brownies, and now all that sugar was making him hyper. If he didn't find something to do soon, he would explode! Yami was lying on his stomach on the floor. His wings were flapping gently up and down as they usually did when Yami was thinking. Now he was trying to think of a way to defeat the evil creature called boredom.

Around two thirty, Yami's ears picked up a loud roar that was getting louder. It sounded like it was coming from an engine, and since he had nothing better to do, Yami got up and walked to the window to see where it came from. He saw a motorcycle speeding down the street approaching the house. He expected it to pass by, but was surprised when the bike screeched to a stop in front of the house. He watched as the back rider released his death grip on the driver and slowly get off. Yami's eyes widened when the rider pulled off his helmet to reveal a mane of tri-colored hair. 'What the-? Yugi?' Yami then quietly opened the window a bit so he could hear what Yugi was saying to the other.

"Malik, where the hell did you learn to drive!" Yugi said, punching the driver in the head, but the driver was still wearing his helmet, so it only hurt Yugi.

"Oh, come on! You know it's fun," came a light voice full of amusement.

"One of these days you are going to kill someone!"

"I haven't yet. I haven't even gotten a ticket."

"The only reason you haven't gotten a ticket, is because you go so fast, the cops can't catch up!"

The other just laughed, and pulled his helmet off. Yami thought he couldn't be more surprised, but he was floored when he saw the driver was the tanned blonde holding Yugi in the picture.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just you look so cute when you're all flustered."

"Knock it off! I should beat you up for scaring me like that. From now on, I'm going to get rides from Honda," Yugi said as he walked to the door.

"So are you coming to the movies with the rest of us?"

"I…don't know," Yugi said quietly.

"Why not?" asked Malik, as he gave the smaller a concerned look.

"Maybe it's because _someone_ almost gave me a heart attack just now," Yugi said, mock glaring at the Egyptian. "But I'm tired, and I have to do homework, and I have to watch the store, and-"

"Oh come on! You have enough time to nap, you have great grades, and I'm sure your grandpa won't mind if you left for one night. Staying inside by yourself isn't healthy. Unless you want me to stay with you," Malik said with a smirk and a wink.

"Malik, if I let you stay with me, you'd probably molest me all night," Yugi said with another mock glare.

"Damn straight!"

Yugi just laughed at that. "I'll take a nap, and I'll call you, or Jou, or whoever, ok." Malik nodded, then motioned for Yugi to come closer. "What?"

"You have to give me a goodbye kiss."

"No way! There was enough flirting at lunch."

"Man, scaring those first years was great!" Malik said with a scary smile, which made Yugi laugh more.

"I seriously think they believed you were going to fuck me in front of them," Yugi said, his laughter joined by Malik's. The two friends laughed some more for a few minutes, before Yugi walked over and gave Malik a hug. "Thanks for today. That includes this morning."

"He deserves only the worst! And I'll make sure he gets it for everything he's done to you," Malik said, all joy gone from his voice, replaced by anger.

"I hate that the rest of you are involved," Yugi said, looking at the ground.

"Of course we are involved. We're your friends, and we aren't going to let Ushio and his gang of Frankenstein rejects hurt you."

"Thanks, Malik," Yugi said, tightening his hug.

"No problem. Now you better go up and rest. You're going to need all your energy when we run from the ushers." Malik patted Yugi's head, then placed his helmet back on, and sped off.

Yami had heard the entire conversation. Now he was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, eyes closed. The conversation was playing in his mind. Especially the part about that Ushio person and his gang hurting Yugi. At least now he knew who to make pay. But the other parts stuck in his mind as well. All that flirting that they did, it seemed more than just friendly. They also mentioned something at school. It seemed that those two were close, and once again, Yami was saddened, and he could feel jealousy creep into his heart. He tried to push it away, but he couldn't get rid of it. 'Great! I just got over the whole "friend" thing. I'm not going to start questioning any deeper feelings, because there are none. Do you hear me! NONE!' Yami then heard the door open, and opened his eyes to see Yugi staring back at him. He smiled sheepishly and waved. Suddenly, before he could blink, Yugi was sitting in front of him, checking his bandages.

"Why are you out of bed? You aren't hurt again are you? Did something happen? Are you in pain anywhere? What about your wing? Is it still-?"

Yami covered the boy's mouth with his hands in order to silence him. He looked into Yugi's eyes, and saw the amethyst orbs were full of worry and concern. "I'm fine. I just decided to walk around."

"But your wounds!"

"They've already healed. I just have to wait for my wing."

"Oh…are you sure?"

"I'm sure. You can remove the bandages if you want to be certain."

Yugi nodded, then stood, and pulled Yami upstairs back to the bathroom. He removed the bandages from the chest, and was shocked when he saw the perfect skin. There were no scars, and not even a scratch could be found. Yugi removed the rest of the bandages to find the same everywhere else. "Wow. I wish I could do that."

"I can heal your wounds too, if you'd like," Yami said, gently holding one of Yugi's arms. But Yugi pulled it away and shook his head.

"I'm fine. But what were you doing next to the window?"

"I think I'm going crazy with lack of flying," Yami said shaking his head.

"Well, go crazy all you want," Yugi said with a giggle. "You aren't doing any flying till that wing is healed."

"Yes, mother," Yami said sarcastically, earning a light punch to the stomach. "By the way, who was that guy on the bike?"

"That was Malik. I've known him for three years. He moved to Japan from Egypt."

"Really? My ancestors are from Egypt."

"That's cool. My grandpa's an archeologist, and he's in Egypt now with his friend."

"Interesting. I haven't been there in a few hundred years." The two walked out of the bathroom, and back to the living room, where they collapsed on the couch. "So, how was school? Did you walk into any more doors today?"

"No! But school was…boring, like usual. Lunch was the only good time."

"You had fun with your friends?"

"Yep, if you call being hugged to death, and dragged across the whole school fun," Yugi said, chuckling.

"Let me guess, it was that Malik guy?"

"Yea. Malik's always like that. He's hyper, funny, crazy, psycho, insane, mentally retarded, and all that other good stuff."

"He seems to be close to you."

"He loves to hug me till I can't breathe. He does the same to Ryou, just not as often," Yugi said, laying upside down on the couch.

"Are…you two…together?"

"What!" Yugi asked almost falling to the ground. "Together? No way! We are just friends."

"But all that flirting?"

"That's just a thing we do. It's like…a sign of our friendship. We both know that, so it's ok."

"Oh," was all Yami said. The jealously vanished, and Yami felt strangely happy. He didn't know why he was happy, but he decided not to look into it. "I saw him hugging you in this picture, and I thought you were together. Who are the others?" he asked, picking the picture up.

"The one with silver hair is Ryou. The other blonde is Jou, my best friend. The brunette is Honda," Yugi said, pointing at each one.

"It's strange. Ryou looks exactly like my friend Bakura. Malik also looks like my other friend Marik. It seems like look-a-likes are popping up everywhere."

"Yea. Wait…did you say Bakura? That's even weirder, because Ryou's last name is Bakura. This is just too strange." Yugi said, shaking his head. Then he noticed the empty packs of Oreos. "I see you've helped yourself to my food," he said with a smirk.

Yami blushed lightly, and looked away. "I…I got hungry, ok? It's not my fault there isn't any moon out now."

"I have to go out for groceries any way."

"By the way," Yami said, a sly smile creeping on to his lips. "I also saw that picture of you in the sailor suit."

Yugi's eyes widened. "What! I thought I told grandpa to burn that!" He rushed to the mantle, but couldn't find it.

"Looking for this?" Yami asked, holding the picture in his hands.

"Ahh! Give it back!" Yugi said trying to take it away, but the Shadow held it far over his head, and Yugi couldn't reach. "Yami!" the teen pouted.

"Aww, but I want to keep it. You were such a chubby little thing," Yami said in a baby voice. "You were so cute!"

"W-was not!" Yugi said, blushing fiercely.

"Yes you were! Look at you! Such a chubby little baby. Look at the chubby baby," Yami said teasingly, pinching Yugi's cheek. "Who's a cute wittle pudgy thing? You were! Yes you were!"

"Yami, if you don't let go, I'm going to bite you," Yugi said, glaring at the Shadow, even though he was still blushing.

"But you were so adorable!"

"Yami!"

"Ok, ok! I'll give it back. But can I have a copy?"

"No! No one shall ever see this again! It will be destroyed!" Yugi said, taking the frame away from the other and hiding it under the couch. Yami laughed at his antics.

"Oh, Yugi. I heard that conversation with that Malik, guy. Are you going to the movies tonight?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I can't leave you here by yourself. I'll just tell the others that I'm tired, or that I haven't finished my homework yet."

"Don't stay here because of me. You should go out with your friends."

"It's ok. I see them everyday. I can go with them anytime." 'Actually, after tonight, I probably won't be alive anymore. But I can't tell anyone. I'm not going to get them involved.'

"No, I want you to go out. You can't be stuck here."

"But-"

"No, you will go out. I want you to have fun." The look in Yami's eyes showed that the Shadow was serious about it, and Yugi knew that he wouldn't win this argument. Oh well, there went his plan of staying home all night. But even if he did, Ushio would get him tomorrow. There really was no escape.

000000

A few hours later Yugi stood in his living room looking out the window, trying to spot Malik. He had given in, and agreed to go to the movies. He knew it was a mistake, but there was nothing he could do. If he had kept refusing, Yami would have asked why. Yugi knew the other would have found out about Ushio's threat, so he agreed before it was revealed. So now, Yugi was hoping the next few hours would pass by quickly. A few minutes later, Malik's motorcycle arrived. Yugi waved down at the boy, then turned around and saw Yami leaning against the couch. Yugi put on a happy face, and walked towards the door.

"Be careful," Yami said as Yugi walked past. Suddenly, Yugi turned around and gave him a hug. By the time Yami worked his way out of his shock, the bike was already speeding down the street. 'What…the…hell…just…happened?' Yami felt his brain turn to mush, so he fell back on the couch, and just lay there.

000000

It was 9:45 when the five friends walked out of the movie theatre, all laughing. They had gone to see an action movie, but the 'action' was so fake. So they decided to create some action of their own. So far the rank for the farthest thrown popcorn was: Honda, Yugi, Ryou, Malik, Jou. Jou was so mad that he had come in last, he challenged them to see who could throw the popcorn farthest and hit someone. The score for that was: Ryou, Jou, Malik, Yugi, Honda. They had to stop though, or else they would have gotten kicked out.

"I am so tired," Ryou said, yawning. "I'm going now. See you tomorrow."

"Me too," said Malik. "Night guys." Malik got on his bike, and Ryou climbed on the back. They left the parking lot and drove out of sight.

"I'll be heading off too. It looks like rain," said Honda, and he sped off.

"Come on, Yug'. Let's take a walk in the park," Jou said, and the two friends started off. The two walked in silence for a bit, just enjoying the cool night air. They sat down on a bench in front of the pond, and stared out across the water. "So, Yug'. What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong."

"Don't think ya can fool me. We've been best friends for years, and I know when something's bothering ya. So what is it?"

Yugi didn't speak. He turned his head away, and looked across the water. He didn't want to tell Jou about the note. He didn't want to think about it, but the thought never left his mind. It kept stabbing at the back of his mind, reminding him that his time could end that night.

"Yugi, you have to tell me. Did Ushio do something? Malik told me about this morning. Did he try something on you during school?"

"No. He didn't do anything. I…I should get back home. We have school tomorrow again, so I need to get some sleep." Yugi got up and started to walk away, when Jou grabbed his arm.

"Yugi, you can't think of others all the time. I know you don't want to see anyone hurt, but you have to think of your safety as well. Be selfish for once."

"Jou, Ushio hasn't done anything. I'm well aware that he could do something at anytime, but…you know I don't like it when others worry about me. So please, just forget about it." Yugi yanked his arm away from Jou and continued to walk.

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, I'll be fine." Yugi walked out of the park, and started towards his house. He knew Ushio could be in any one of the alleys, so he started walking a fast. He listened for any sound, and was very tense. He kept glancing around for the slightest movement, and wished he had let Jou come with him. At least he wouldn't be so scared. Before he knew it, he found himself three blocks away from his house. His heart did flips, and he relaxed. Maybe he would make it!

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed him, drawing him into an alley. He was taken deep into the alley, and thrown against a wall. He cried out when his back connected to the bricks, wincing as pain shot through his spine. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't make anything out. Then out of a corner a shadow started moving, and it came closer. Out of nowhere, someone started laughing. Yugi's heart dropped when he realized just who was laughing.

"So you thought you could escape me, did you?" came Ushio's voice. "You should have known better. You weren't very smart, leaving your house. Now you get the pleasure of reacquainting yourself with my fist."

Yugi was lifted up off the ground, and he stared into the cruel eyes of the other. Yugi tried to keep from shaking in fear, but he wasn't doing well. He was scared beyond belief, and could no longer think straight. He saw other shadows move, and saw that Ushio's gang was there as well. Then he noticed a shiny glint, and his eyes were drawn to it. His breath caught in his throat as he realized the glint was coming from small knives. 'Oh…no.'

"It's time for a little payback, runt," said the other boy, ramming his fist into Yugi's stomach, pushing all the wind out. He dropped him, and Yugi fell to the ground in a heap. Before he could get any air back into his lungs, two kicks collided with his body, one from the front, and one from the back. Yugi cried out in pain, his eyes filling with tears.

"P-please…stop," he begged them, his voice a mere whisper.

His pleas just made the other boys happier, and soon all of them were taking turns punching and kicking him. Yugi felt a rib crack, and he could no longer feel his right arm. He was bruised and bloodied everywhere, his clothes ripped to shreds. Everywhere except for his face. For some reason, Ushio would never hit his face. Yugi never knew why and at that time, he could care less.

A crack of thunder filled the air, and lightning split the skies in two. Rain started to fall heavily on the city, and the boys in the alley were drenched, but that didn't stop them. While Yugi was trying to catch his breath, he felt himself being lifted up. He opened his eyes, and once again, looked into Ushio's. The other boy had an evil satisfied look in his eyes, and the scariest grin in the world. "Are you still alive?" he asked. "Well, I'll just have to take care of that." He then pulled out his knife, and Yugi felt his heart stop.

"N-no. P-please let m-me go," Yugi said, more tears welling up in his eyes.

"And ruin our fun? I think not. Besides, you know you deserve this," the boy said, bringing the knife to Yugi's right arm. Ushio made five slices in the skin starting from the shoulder, going down to just above Yugi's wrist. The small boy screamed from pain, and he was forced to watch his blood fall to the ground. All around him stood the others, laughing in glee as they watched the scene unfold.

"You see, Yugi. This would not have happened if you weren't such a weak little runt. You were such an easy target, and you deserve this for making yourself that way." Ushio then took the knife and cut into Yugi's chest, making the boy cry out again. Ushio felt Yugi's blood run down his arm, and it only made him more excited. So excited that he didn't stop. He drew the dagger all over Yugi's body, till there was a puddle of blood underneath them. The whole time, neither he nor his friends had stopped laughing.

Yugi's screamed, and begged till his voice was hoarse. He prayed to be taken out of the pain soon. He didn't want to bear this punishment anymore. Tears continuously streamed out of his dull amethyst eyes, and they mixed with the rain. He felt the world slip slowly away, and the edges of his vision were starting to blacken. 'Please take me from this.'

Suddenly, Yugi was dropped back to the ground, and he cried out as dirt and gravel entered his wounds. He saw Ushio kneel down in front of him, and the other lifted Yugi's head. "You know, Yugi. There is one way to save yourself," the bigger teen said, an animalistic glow in his eyes. "You can become my slave. You'd do everything for me……including _pleasuring_ me."

Yugi stared back at the other for a bit, his brain running over the proposal. Finally, with much pain, he shook his head. He refused to give his body to someone like him. He would rather die than let himself be dirtied like that.

"Really? Too bad then." Ushio stood, and kicked Yugi again, sending the boy flying across the ground. Then he and his friends left, leaving Yugi to bleed alone. The small boy cried in the rain, pain radiating from every inch of his body. He couldn't move even a pinkie. He'd probably die there. Images flashed through his mind. He saw his grandpa, and knew he would miss him. He saw his friends, and hoped they would forgive him for not telling them. He saw his parents. Their faces were blurred, but he still recognized them. He would be joining them soon.

Finally he saw Yami. Even though he had only known Yami for a short time, he thought of the Shadow as a valuable friend. He hoped the other would heal soon. He wanted Yami to go on and live a good life. He knew that the Shadow race would always be in good hands with Yami as king. He just hoped that Yami would never forget him. 'I wish I could see him one last time.'

Suddenly, Yugi felt a strength flow through him. It wasn't much, but he could finally move. Slowly Yugi got up, wincing with every move. Yugi had to lean on the wall for support, but he started limping home. He was filled with such determination to see Yami that he wouldn't let wounds stop him. He was going to see Yami again, even if it killed him. He wanted to be near the Shadow, to be able to look into his deep red eyes and feel safe.

After a long time, Yugi made it to his block. He looked behind him and saw a light trail of blood. The rain would wash it away by tomorrow, and the proof that he existed would be washed away with it. Yugi started off again, stumbling often. His vision was almost gone, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. 'Must…get…h-home…need…s-see Y-Yami.'

Yugi was a few feet away from the door when he finally collapsed. He could no longer bear the pain, and his body was too heavy. Slowly the pain started to disappear, leaving him numb. He could no longer feel anything, and he waited for death to come and claim his soul. Above him he heard a gasp, and with great effort, he opened his eyes. He looked into the horrified crimson eyes of Yami. The king knelt in front of him, shock written all over his features.

"Yugi! Yugi what happened? Who did this to you!" Worry and anger were etched into his voice as he tried to get Yugi to focus on him. "Yugi please answer me!" Yami felt his heart breaking at the sight. The beautiful boy who had left him a few hours ago was now broken and mangled, blood seeping from every inch.

"Y-yami," was all the smaller whispered. Then he could see no more.

000000

Yugi awoke later to find that he was lying in his bed. He had no idea how he got there, unless this was the afterlife. But if it was, it wasn't anything special. But somehow it didn't feel like he was dead. Yugi realized he was only in boxers. He could feel warmth from the blankets, and felt the soft mattress under him. He felt an ice pack on his forehead, the chill a nice contrast to the heat. He slowly let his gaze travel around, and they landed on a pair of crimson eyes.

"You are finally awake," Yami said, his voice sounding worn and tired.

"…What?"

"You've been asleep for a few hours. It's around two in the morning now." Yami got up from the chair he was sitting on, and knelt on the ground next to the bed. He took one of Yugi's hands in his, and rubbed it gently. "How do you feel?"

"My body hurts so much," Yugi said, tears beginning to appear again as he remembered the events that had taken place. He squeezed Yami's hand, receiving comfort from the other.

"Yugi, did Ushio do this to you?"

"What! How do you know about him?" Yugi was scared now that Yami knew of Ushio. He had hoped to keep the king out of it, but if Yami figured it out, he would get involved. He could even get hurt. Yugi couldn't let that happen.

"I overheard you and Malik talk about him. He was the one who did this, wasn't he?" Yami was filled with rage at the thought of that asshole. How DARE he injure Yugi! It was people, no _humans_ , like that that justified his hatred for the species. And they claimed Shadows were beasts. But to injure someone as innocent as Yugi was just too much!

"…yes," Yugi said, looking away.

"That bastard! He's going to pay!" Yami growled through clenched teeth. He stood up, and paced around the room, glaring at everything.

"Yami, please don't get involved!" Yugi said, sitting up and holding Yami's hand in both of his. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"A weak coward like him could never hurt me."

"Yami…please don't bother with this. I never wanted you to find out."

"Yugi, you can't let him do this to you! I don't care how selfless you are, you can't jeapordize your safety for others! You have to take care of yourself. In fact…if I hadn't made you go out tonight, you would have been fine."

"Yami, it wasn't your fault. I knew he was going to hurt me. He told me that he was going to kill me tonight."

"In the note in your pocket. It's humans like that that infuriate me! They have no right to call themselves perfect! Perfect my ass!"

"Yami, please don't get mad. It was my fault. All of it. I…deserved it."

"Let me guess, _Ushio_ told you that." Yugi nodded, and Yami growled again, his wings expanding, and his fangs and claws appearing in reaction to his anger. "Bullshit! You did nothing to deserve that punishment! Don't you _dare_ let him mess with your mind!"

"Yami…"

"You were so hurt when I brought you up here. I thought you would die of blood loss. It took me a while to heal all your injuries." Yugi blinked, then realized that the entire time he hadn't felt any pain at all. He looked down and saw his wounds were closed. They were still there, but not as many, and not so obvious.

"You…healed me?"

"Yes. I had to stop because I was getting tired, but I can finish now."

"But…why?"

"Why did _you_ help _me_? You could have left me in that park. You could have let me die, but you brought me here and saved me. I'm very grateful, and I want to repay you." Yami came over to the bed, and knelt down, once again taking Yugi's hand in his. "I will protect you from them. I promise."

Yami then placed his hands on Yugi's bare chest, not seeing the blush that painted the human's cheeks. His hands were resting over a wound, and suddenly, a faint blue light appeared, and Yugi felt a warmth spread through him. For a moment it felt like heaven, but that euphoric feeling left as quickly as it came, and the light faded away. Yami removed his hands from the spot and Yugi gasped, amazed to see the wound had completely vanished. "That's…amazing!"

Yami smiled, and continued healing the other wounds. "It's standard magic. All Shadows are taught it in their first year of school, along with the normal subjects, like math, and science. I'm only using a little bit since the wounds aren't so bad anymore."

"That's still amazing to see. I wish I could do magic."

"What would you do? Pull a rabbit out of your hat?"

"No, but maybe I can make that sarcasm of yours disappear." The two laughed at the little joke. "Ironic isn't it? Monday I was healing your wounds, and now it's Wednesday…well…Thursday, and you're the one healing me."

"I shouldn't have to heal you. You should never be hurt. I'll make sure you aren't anymore. I swear on my crown."

Yugi smiled at his promise. It touched him that someone he barely knew wanted to keep him safe. He knew that Yami wouldn't break the promise, and for the first time in his life, Yugi felt truly safe and cared for. Overcome with emotion, Yugi leaned forward and gave Yami a hug. He wrapped his arms around the king's neck, and rested his cheek against the other's. "Thank you," he whispered.

Yami stiffened at first. Yugi was hugging him again! For the second time that night! But…Yami found he didn't care. In fact, Yami liked it. He wrapped his arms around the boy's small waist, drawing him closer. Yugi was small, and he fit perfectly into Yami's arms. The boy was soft, and warm, and the sweet scent of strawberries clung to him. Yami didn't want to let go. "Anything for a friend."

Yugi pulled back, shock written over his face. "F-friend?"

"Of course you're my friend! What did you think?" Yami said with a wink. The Shadow then pulled off a silver bracelet from his left arm. He said a spell over it, making it glow a bright red. When the glow faded, he handed it to Yugi. "This is for you. It's a sign of our friendship, and it will protect you when I cannot."

Yugi slowly reached for the bracelet, then slipped it onto his left wrist. The bracelet immediately shrunk till it was tight around his wrist. He felt a surge of power and comfort coming from it, and knew that it would be his most treasured item from now on. He smiled, and looked back up at Yami. The other teen's crimson eyes were so soft and gentle, and his smile was warm. Yami looked at him with such care, that Yugi felt like he would drown in it. His heart started to beat quickly when those beautiful crimson eyes locked on his. Yami looked so…gorgeous sitting there, and Yugi realized he had developed a crush on the Shadow. "Thank you, Yami. For everything."

In a part of the city a bit away from Yugi's house, two figures stood on the roof of a building, their wings shining from the light from a billboard behind them. They looked out at the city, their wings flexing as if they were about to take flight. Even though it was still raining, they didn't move an inch.

"Bakura! Seto!" cried a voice from behind them, and they turned to see a blonde teen fly up to them, black wings shimmering with inlaid lavender. "Did you guys feel that wave of magic?"

"Yes. But it's so weak, I can't tell where it's coming from," said the one called Bakura. "This is so aggravating!" he said, wings expanding in his anger, shining black with light brown.

"At least it's a start," said Seto, curling his wings around his body, the black appendages giving off a faint blue hue. His blue eyes scanned the city, as if he could see into the buildings. "I thought I picked up the Master's scent when I was flying near the harbor. What about you, Marik?"

"The harbor in the east or west?" Marik asked.

"East."

"I thought so too, but I didn't look into it, so I went west."

"I picked up his scent in the east too, but it wasn't near the harbor. It was a few miles away, nearer the large shopping district. Could Yami have moved?" asked Bakura, running a hand through his wet silver hair. "Damn rain!"

"I doubt it. If he was being kept hostage, the humans wouldn't have moved him. They wouldn't have even let him outside. If he is alone, then he would be heading towards the forest in the opposite direction."

"So, what do we do?" Marik asked, wings flapping back and forth.

"We'll have to wait till tomorrow night, since it's almost dawn. Tomorrow we'll look again, and…we might even have to search in the day," said Seto, eyes showing how much he hated that plan.

"In the day! With humans! I don't want to pose as a human! I don't want to 'walk' all over the town! What if someone bumps into me?" said Bakura, gagging at the thought.

"It might be the only choice we have."

Marik growled, then flew a few feet up in the air. "DAMNIT YAMI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU! IF YOU AREN'T DEAD YET, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Well, that's one way to get Yami's attention," said Seto, uncovering his ears.

"Hey, if it works, it works," said Bakura. He then sighed and looked up at the sky. "There isn't any moon tonight. He'll have to get energy from another source. So we need to make sure we rescue the Master soon."

"Hopefully it's not too late," Malik muttered as he flew down, and sat on the ground.

"It's not. I can tell," Seto said, walking over to the edge of the roof. "Besides, he'll probably want to leave immediately. He's surrounded by humans. What reason does he have to stay?"

* * *

Star: YAY:does happy dance: I'm finally finished! Damn! This chapter is even longer than Deepest Dreams. 

Yami: You write too much.

Star: I do. :cries: It hurt me so much to put in that scene with Ushio in the alley. I feel evil. :glomps Yugi: PLEASE FORGIVE ME, BUT IT WAS NEEDED!

Yugi. :sweatdrops: Uh…it's ok?

Yami: On another note. :glomps Yugi: You are so cute in that little sailor uniform!

Yugi. :blushes: Am not!

Yami: Yes you are! You are the cutest thing in the world. :drags Yugi off to do 'things':

Star. :stares after them: Damn! I don't have my camera! Anyway, I hope you all liked! Please review for me!


	5. Hard Times Abound

Star: HIYA! I'm back from my vacations! I hope everyone had a good summer. I didn't, but oh well. But I am finally able to post my chapters again. :dances: Btw, this is an EXTREMELY long chapter.

Yami: The world would be better with out them

Star: Shut it, chicken head!

Yami: Don't you start with that!

Yugi: They just never learn, do they :sighs:

Star: Anyway, this will be up today, but I have let SilverWing147 beta the next chapter of Deepest Dreams, so when she's finished, I'll post that one up as well. I am really sorry that I took so long, but I couldn't do it at all over the summer. Anyway, enough of my ranting. ON TO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: (to the tune of La Cucaracha) I hate the lawyers. I hate the lawyers. They must die and burn in hell. I hate the lawyers, they are so stupid. I don not own Yugioh.

"speech"

'thoughts'

-----------Hard Times Abound-------

A soft moan was heard in the room as its occupant shifted in the bed. The sound of ruffling feathers followed when large, black wings were moved into a more comfortable position. The owner of those wings, Yami, buried his face in the pillow to avoid the daylight that was streaming into the room. The aroma of strawberries reached him, and a tiny smile graced his features. Still deep in sleep, the Shadow King stretched an arm out, reaching for something. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he opened his eyes. Sleepy crimson orbs scanned the bed, only to find himself alone. Yami blinked for a minute before jumping off the bed and searching the room. Seeing that he was alone, he rushed out of the bedroom and stood in the hall, not caring that he was only in boxers. "Yugi?" he called.

"Yes?" came a reply from behind him. Yami turned around and found the human boy peeking out of the bathroom, immediately blushing at seeing a (hot) half-naked Yami. "What is it, Yami?"

"I was looking for you. What are you doing up?"

"Getting ready," Yugi said walking out of the bathroom; face down to avoid staring at Yami's (sexy) almost nude body. Yami saw he was wearing his school uniform, and was looking at a textbook.

"Ready? You aren't going to school, are you?"

"Of course I am. I have a big test today in history, and I studied too hard to skip it."

"But what about Ushio?"

"I'll…I'll just try to avoid him," the human said. He then walked into his room, grabbed his bag, and walked downstairs. Yami put on his pants, then followed him and watched as he packed his books in it.

"But what if he does something to you again?"

"If I don't go to school, then he'll think he won. He probably thinks I'm dead now, and if he tells my friends that, then they will freak. They'll call the police, and then it'll turn into a huge mess. I can't let that happen. Besides, he won't hurt me at school. Too many people."

"And after school? He can still get you. He won't be happy when he sees you alive and uninjured," Yami said. He couldn't help but be worried for the other's safety. That Ushio meant it when he said he wanted to kill Yugi, which made Yami mad as hell. Ushio needed to pay for what he did to Yugi the previous night. 'Stupid human. I'm glad I'm not one of them.'

"I promise I'll come straight home. I'll try to get a ride from one of my friends."

"The blonde that you came with yesterday?"

"Malik? No way. I'd rather not end up as road kill," Yugi said. "Malik drives way too fast, so I'll come with someone else."

"Ok, but you be careful," the King said as he sat down on the couch. "If he hurts you again, I swear I'm going to rip his head off."

"That's a lovely mental image," the other teen replied. Yugi looked around the room for a second, before getting on his knees and checking under the furniture. "Damn, where is it?"

"And…what exactly are you doing?" Yami asked as he watched Yugi crawl under a table.

"Looking for a book. Have you seen one with a black and green cover?"

"No," Yami said before checking between the cushions in the couch. His fingers brushed against something hard, and he pulled it out. Instead of finding the book, he found the picture that Yugi had hid yesterday. The Shadow smirked, and mentally thanked the gods for his good fortune. This time he was keeping the picture, and Yugi would definitely _not_ get it back.

"Found it!" Yugi said as he pulled the book from behind a chair. He then noticed that Yami was bent over something, so he leaned forward to see what it was. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Nothing," Yami replied, quickly hiding the frame behind him.

It took Yugi a second to realize what it was that the other had found, and he cursed himself for forgetting to destroy the picture. "Yami, give me the picture," he demanded as he advanced on the other.

"No. I found it, and I'm going to keep it," Yami answered, taking a step back.

"Yami, I mean it. Don't make me hurt you," Yugi threatened. "I want that picture back."

Yami laughed when he heard the other's threat. "You hurt me? I doubt it. I'm going to keep this picture. You look so adorable in your little sailor uniform." Yami smiled when he saw the blush in Yugi's cheeks. His mind was once again being traitorous, and he found himself thinking that the human was cute when he was blushing. He sensed the other getting ready to attack, so he took a defensive stance. He knew Yugi couldn't hurt him, but he had to be prepared for anything. He'd go easy on the boy though; he was only human after all. It wasn't his fault he was born as one.

"Yami, I'm going to count to three, and if you don't give me that picture, I'm going to tackle you. One…three!" Yugi then jumped at the other, but Yami leapt over the couch, and ran to the other side of the room. Yugi chased after him, but wasn't fast enough to catch the Shadow. The King ran around a chair, and back behind the couch. Yugi jumped over his school bag, and ran in front of Yami. He grabbed Yami's arm and tried to keep him from running away. Unfortunately, the other was stronger, and suddenly Yugi found himself lying on the floor with Yami straddling him. The human tried to get away, but he gave up when he realized he was trapped. "Yami, get off!"

"I don't know. I'm very comfortable like this," the King replied with a smirk, leaning closer to the other so that he was lying completely on top of Yugi. His smirk widened when he saw an even darker blush cover Yugi's face.

"Y-Yami, I'm g-going to be late," Yugi replied, stuttering in nervousness because of their position.

"So?" was the reply he got. Yugi rolled his eyes and tried to get away again, but Yami wouldn't let go of him. He noticed the picture was within his reach and he tried to grab it. Yami saw him move for the frame, and lifted it above his head. "You aren't going to get it," the Shadow said with a taunting smile. He lifted it higher when Yugi reached up again to get it.

"Why do you like it so much?" Yugi said, pouting when he couldn't get it.

"Because you are so cute in it," the other replied, pinching Yugi's cheek lightly. "You look so cuddwy and adowable." Once again, Yugi's face lit up in a blush. This was going to be one hell of a day.

"Yami, give it back. Don't make me use my secret weapon."

"And what would that be?"

"You don't want to know. So give it!" Yugi said as he reached up and tried to grab it again. But once again, Yami held it out of his reach. Yugi was becoming annoyed, and he started to squirm about under the Shadow trying to break free from the other.

"I _do _want to know. So tell me, what is this 'secret weapon' of yours?" asked Yami, trying to keep his voice steady. It was hard though when Yugi was moving so wildly under him, and Yami's wings had to fan out a few inches to keep him balanced. He tried to ignore it, but it wasn't easy. The Shadow was also trying to ignore the perverted images that were being produced in his mind. Images that included a bed, chains, strawberry syrup, and of course a naked, writhing Yugi. One who was moaning, and screaming Yami's name as Yami pound-'NO! Don't think those things! Remember he's a human!' But that didn't stop a certain part of his body from reacting in a _very _interesting way. It just got worse. 'Oh hell. I hope he doesn't notice _that_. _That _would be hard to explain. "No, I'm not hard, that's just a rock in my pants." Crap, I'm screwed. I mean fucked! I mean!…why won't he stop moving? He's making this so _hard_! …Damnit!'

"Yami-" Yugi began, but was cut off when the phone rang. He and Yami stared at the phone as it continued to ring. They then looked back at each other, and Yugi gave him a small smile. "I have to get that," the teen said softly. Yami nodded silently and climbed off the human. He wouldn't admit it, but he was annoyed that their fun had been ruined by the stupid phone.

Yugi slowly got up, and walked over to the phone. "Hello?"

"Yugi! Thank goodness ya picked up. I was gettin' worried," came Jou's voice from the other side.

"What's wrong, Jou?"

"I was worried all night dat somethin' mighta happened ta ya."

"What made you think that?"

"When I was walkin' home, I saw some of Ushio's thugs standin' by a corner. One was talkin' on a cell phone, den hung up and said 'He did it. Ushio finally killed off da little freak.' I was scared dat dey meant you! I wanted to call, but I was too tired. I'm glad ya are ok."

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine. Nothing happened yesterday," answered Yugi. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Yami frown, and grip the carpet tightly. He smiled softly at the other, and it seemed to calm the Shadow.

"Yea well, I'm gonna come pick ya up."

"What? Why?"

"I wanna make sure dat Ushio doesn't get ya before school."

"You don't…hold on," Yugi covered the mouthpiece and turned to Yami. "Yami, put that picture down." The Shadow shook his head, and held the frame closer to him. Yugi glared at him, then uncovered the phone. "Jou, I'm fine. You don't have to come here."

"But I wanna make sure. I know ya, Yug'. You would tell me dat just ta keep me from worryin'. I wanna come over and see for myself."

"Jou, I'm…hold on again." Yugi covered the phone again, and turned to the Shadow who was waving the picture frame in the air. "Will you stop that!" he yelled. Again, Yami shook his head, and he continued to wave the frame around. "Loser," Yugi mumbled before turning back to the phone. "Jou, I swear I'm fine."

"Are ya sure? You're actin' weird."

"I promise I'm fine. Gah! Hold on again." Once more Yugi covered the phone and turned to Yami. "Yami, stop acting like an idiot! Put that picture down, or I will seriously hurt you!" He then spoke back into the phone. "Sorry about that, Jou.

"Ok, you're actin' way too strange. I'm gonna come over now."

"No, Jou. I'm just brushing my hair," Yugi said. "But there is this one piece that is acting STUPID and it won't DO AS I SAY and STAY PUT," he said glaring at Yami. Yami just stuck his tongue out at the human, making Yugi glare more.

"I don't care. I'm comin' ta get you right now. I'll see ya in a few," Jou said before hanging up.

"Jou? Jou? Hello? Oh man," Yugi said, and he placed the phone down, "this isn't good!"

"What's happening?" Yami asked as Yugi started pacing around the room.

"Jou is coming to pick me up in a few minutes. He might even meet the others on the way, then he's going to tell them about what Ushio's friend said and everything! Then they will all come here, and I'm not even finished getting ready thanks to you! Then there is the fact that you are here. You don't want others to know about you, so I have to hide you, but if the others come in then they will definitely know that I'm not alone. I don't know what I'm going to do! I tried to convince him that I was fine, but because I stopped so many times to yell at you, he doesn't believe me! He's probably going to show up with fifty doctors!"

"Um…Yugi?" Yami called while Yugi was still pacing and babbling. "Yugi…Yugi…YUGI!"

"What!"

"Maybe instead of pacing back and forth, you get ready."

Yugi stood there in the middle of the room for a second, blinking as he processed the Shadow's words. Suddenly he gasped and ran around the house, trying to finish getting ready before Jou showed up. "What time is it? Have you seen my bag?" he called as he raced into the kitchen. "Where is my bag? Do I have all my books? I don't have time to eat anything!" Yugi said, running out of the kitchen and upstairs. "Where is my bag? Is my jacket on properly?"

Yami sat there trying not to laugh as Yugi raced in and out of his sight in a panic. He glanced at his side where the missing book bag lay innocently. Yami wondered if he should hide it, but then that would be mean. The King pushed it into the middle of the floor with his foot. Yugi wouldn't be able to miss it there.

"Where the hell is my bag!" Yugi yelled as he ran back in the room. Unfortunately, he didn't see the bag, and so he tripped over it, falling flat on his face. Yami couldn't control his laughter anymore, and collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"Gods, that was hilarious!" the King said as he continued laughing. "Yugi, are…are you…gods, my sides! Are you…ok?" Yami asked through laughs.

"Yes," Yugi replied, sitting up. "My bag!" Yugi then looked over at the still laughing Shadow and glared at him. "I'm so glad my pain brings you amusement."

"It does," said Yami trying to control his laughter. But when he looked at the red mark on Yugi's forehead, he started laughing again.

"Jerk," the teen mumbled. He then noticed the picture frame was lying next to Yami. 'I can get it while he's busy laughing,' Yugi thought. He sat up and pretended he was going to get up, when he suddenly leapt forward and grabbed the frame. "I got it!"

Yami, noticing what had happened, jumped up and tried to get it back. Yugi saw him come closer, so he got up and started to run away from the other. "Yugi, give it back!" Yami ordered.

"No way! It's mine now," said Yugi as he tried to run out of the room. Suddenly Yami ran in front on him and tackled him to the ground. Yugi found himself once again being straddled by the King, and he fought hard to keep his blush down.

"We really should stop meeting like this, Yugi," Yami purred into Yugi's ear, strangely excited when he felt the shiver that coursed through the body below him. "And as for the picture, I'll take that," he said as he took the picture from Yugi's grip.

"Yami, I'll use my secret weapon if you don't give that back," Yugi said.

"I don't think you have a secret weapon. You are just saying that."

'I warned him,' Yugi thought. Before Yami could blink, Yugi eyes had become twice as large, twice as innocent, and twice as adorable. The amethyst orbs started to shimmer as tears began to build up at the edges. Yes, it was his infamous puppy eyes! No one in history had ever beaten his puppy eyes, and it could melt the hearts of even the coldest men. There was no chance for Yami. "Yami," said Yugi in a baby voice, his bottom lip trembling as he pouted, "give that back please. Pwetty pwease?"

'Gah! It's too cute!' Yami thought as he tried to look away. But even as he turned his head away, he couldn't remove his eyes from the sight. "No, it's mine now."

"But Yami, I want it back," Yugi said, making his pout even cuter.

"I want it, and I will keep it." 'Stay strong, stay strong, stay strong.'

"Yami, I want it back," Yugi said again, more tears filling his amethyst eyes. "Why won't you give it back to me?"

"Because…because I…I…oh fine! Take it," the King said as he gave the picture back to Yugi.

"Yay! Tank'oo Yami," Yugi said with a big smile, and Yami felt his heart start to race. Yugi then pushed the other off of him and sat up while looking at his watch. "Oh no! Jou will be here any minute!" As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Yugi got up and looked out the window, seeing Jou standing outside. Yugi turned back around only to find that the living room was empty. He let out a relieved sigh. At least Yami would be ok. He then walked downstairs and opened the door. "Hi, Jou."

"Hey, Yug'. Ya ready?"

"Yea. Just let me get my bag." Yugi then walked back upstairs knowing Jou was following him. He was glad that Yami was in his room. He didn't want Jou to find out about him. It would only cause the Shadow problems. He didn't feel like dealing with things like that, and Jou would probably make a big scene like always. "Ok, let's go."

"Yugi?"

"Yes?"

"How did ya get dat red mark on your forehead?" Jou asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Oh this?" Yugi said as he put a hand over the mark. "Last night I went to the bathroom, but I didn't turn the light on, so I walked into the door frame." Seeing his friend was still suspicious, Yugi continued with the lie. "Come on Jou, you know I do things like that."

"Ok, if ya say so. Let's go."

"We're probably going to be late. I could already be at school, but since I had to wait for you, we are going to get in trouble," Yugi said as they walked outside the house.

"You won't get in trouble," Jou said, waving it off. Yugi sighed and shook his head. Suddenly he felt like he was being watched. He turned around and looked up at his window. He saw Yami was watching him, and he smiled at the Shadow and gave a small wave. He saw Yami wave back and his smile got bigger. "Wha'cha ya looking at, Yug'?" Jou asked, turning around to look at the window. But when he looked, there was nothing there.

"Oh nothing. Just making sure I didn't leave the light on."

---------------

"Jou and Yugi are late," Honda said as he checked his watch. The bell would ring in about seven minutes and they weren't there.

"Maybe they are coming together. Jou is probably stopping for every little thing," responded Malik as he leaned against his motorcycle. "You know how Jou is."

"Maybe they are stuck at a crossing. With all the rain last night, the traffic is backed up. I hear that some stop lights downtown were messed up," said Ryou while he shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other. "Let's wait a few more minutes, and if they don't show up now, then they will be here by first period."

"Maybe I should look for them," said Malik.

"What good will that do? You can't bring them both on your bike, and you'd be late too," replied Honda.

"Well at least I suggested something. What have you done?"

"Should I call Jou's cell? Or Yugi's?" Ryou asked, pulling out his own cell phone.

"Don't bother calling the shrimp," said a voice from behind them. "He can't get phone calls where he is."

"What do you want?" asked Honda as the three turned around. Before them stood Ushio and his gang. They all had creepy smiles and some of them were laughing lightly. There was something messed up about the way they were smiling, and the three boys could feel it.

"I'm just saying I wouldn't bother waiting for Yugi to show up," Ushio said.

"What did you do?" Ryou asked in the calmest voice he could manage.

"Well, if you really want to know, Yugi is-"

"Hey guys!" called another voice. The whole group turned towards the school gates where Jou and Yugi were coming from. "Fancy meeting you here, Ushio," Jou said, glaring at the taller boy.

"What the hell!" Ushio said, staring at Yugi who stared back.

"What were you saying about Yugi?" asked Malik with a smirk.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Ushio asked Yugi.

"I go to school here," Yugi replied calmly before turning to his friends. "Come on guys, the bell is about to ring." He and the four others walked away and into the building right when the bell rang.

"Ushio, what's going on?" asked one of the gang members. "There is no way he could have survived what we did to him last night."

"I don't know, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this." 'I'll get you, Yugi. You can't get away.'

---------------------

Yami fell on the couch with a sigh. There was absolutely nothing to do. "Why must the day be so boring?" It was nine forty nine on a Thursday morning, and Yami was once again bored. Yugi was gone so there was no one for him to talk to. He had tried to entertain himself by watching TV, but after two minutes of watching an effeminate yellow sponge and a talking booger sing the FUN song, Yami felt like his brain was going to explode. So TV was out.

He lay on his stomach and tried to think of something else to do. While he was thinking, his wings flapped up and down slowly. It always happened when he was thinking, and he couldn't break the habit. Suddenly it came to him. "I should see if my wing is better." It had been more than two weeks since he injured it, so it must have healed. If not completely, then enough for him to move it. He needed to try it out to make sure that it could still work properly.

Yami then stood up in the middle of the room. He stretched out his right wing, first to the side then the back, the tips almost reaching the wall. The Shadow let out a pleased moan. His wing was stiff, and it felt so good to stretch it out. He then folded his wing back, and looked at the left one. Yugi had removed most of the bandages yesterday, but left the splints and a few wraps to keep it still. "Ok, let's try it."

Yami took a deep breath, then started to stretch the wing out. He moved it very slowly, going an inch every few seconds. "So far so good," he said, but then a bolt of pain flew through the appendage. It only lasted for a few seconds, and when it disappeared, Yami continued to stretch it out. Finally, the left wing was completely stretched out, and Yami sighed in relief. "It's gotten better," he said as he flapped it gently. "It doesn't hurt anymore." Then another bolt of pain ran through it. "Ow. Ok, it still does."

Yami continued moving it around and said, "Should I fly? It doesn't hurt too much, and besides I need to test it…right?" Getting no reply, Yami decided to do it. He flapped the wings slowly at first, and soon they were moving together. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, the Shadow lifted himself into the air. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and found he was a few inches above the floor.

"Yes! I can do it!" Yami cheered as he flew higher. Soon he was three feet in the air and everything was fine. "I can't believe it." He then went a little higher, and he was almost to the ceiling. But before he could go any further, his left wing collapsed from exhaustion. Yami cried out when he felt the pain in his wing, and he fell to the floor, landing on his hands and knees. "Damn, that hurts!" he said, grabbing his shoulder. He felt his shoulder blade throb with pain, and used some of his magic to numb that pain. When he felt better, he collapsed completely on the ground. "Damn. Oh well, at least it's better."

Yami then looked at the clock. "Well that was a fun way to waste ten minutes. Now what?" He decided to try watching TV again, and hoped that the singing sea creatures from hell were no longer on. Unfortunately, when he turned it on he saw that the effeminate sponge and talking booger were crying together in a movie theater. "What the hell do they show these kids? When will Yugi get back?" he said, thinking of his friend.

Yes, he said friend. He had given up denying that they were friends. But only friends! Just because his heart fluttered every time Yugi laughed or smiled, and just because he liked holding Yugi in his arms, and just because he thought Yugi was cute when he blushed, and just because he liked teasing Yugi, and just because he had a few…million perverted thoughts about Yugi, and just because Yugi made him feel happy, and just because Yugi could make him laugh, and just because he constantly thought about Yugi, and just because he was overly protective of Yugi, and just because he felt complete when ever Yugi was around, and…where was he going with this? Oh yea, they were friends and that was all. There was nothing else to it. They were friends…just friends…friends…and that's how it would always be.

Yami groaned and buried his face in the carpet. 'Gods, why is this so hard? Yugi is my friend, and that's it. Being friends is dangerous enough. I can't have deeper feelings for him. It would never work out and we'd both end up being hurt. I can't be falling for him, I just can't! So…why does my heart tell me differently? I am not falling in love with him. It is impossible for me to love him. He's a human and I'm a Shadow. I can not love him! There are no deeper feelings! But it's getting harder for me to convince myself of that every time. I can't be in love with him, I can't, but…what if I am?

--------------------------

'Thank goodness it's lunch time,' Yugi thought as he walked down the hall way and to the main doors. 'I really need a break after that history test. I thought I was going to die.' He then went outside, sighing in pleasure when he felt a cool breeze drift across the campus. He closed his amethyst eyes for a second, and just stood there enjoying the warmth from the sun. Yugi then opened them, and started off towards the cherry tree. 'I wonder if the others are there yet.'

Before he could move another step, a hand reached out from a corner and grabbed him. Yugi let out a yell when he was pulled around the corner, and yelled again when he was pinned against a wall. 'What the hell?' he thought as he tried to stop his vision from spinning.

"Hello again, little Yugi," said the person who was holding him. "I've been waiting for you."

'Damnit, why is it always him?' Yugi thought as he focused his gaze on the other. Above him stood Ushio, and he didn't look too happy. He was holding Yugi a foot off the ground by his shirt, and was leaning in very close. Yugi didn't like that the other was so close to him, so he tried to lean as far away as possible, though that didn't work because he was directly against the wall. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you are alive."

"What are you talking about?" Yugi asked, trying to keep any fear from his voice.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. How the hell did you survive?"

"That's for me to know," replied Yugi as he glared at the other. "Now let me go."

"You seem to have gotten a bit of an attitude. I don't like it," Ushio said as he leaned even closer. He was breathing on Yugi, and the smaller teen could smell the cigarette smoke in his breath. "Just because you escaped death last night doesn't mean you are big shit. Don't go getting all cocky. Maybe I should teach you another lesson."

"You wouldn't dare do anything here," responded Yugi. "Too many witnesses."

"There is always after school," Ushio answered with a smirk.

"You can't hurt me," said Yugi with his own smirk, glancing down at the silver bracelet on his left wrist. 'I know I'll be fine. Yami promised me he'd keep me safe.' "You can't do anything to me."

Ushio let out an angry yell, and punched the wall next to Yugi's head. Yugi cried out in surprise and closed his eyes, moving away from Ushio's fist. "Who the hell do you think you are, twerp! I could break your fucking neck right now! What makes you think you can talk to me like that, huh!"

"L-let me go," Yugi repeated, some of the fear creeping into his voice.

"There you go with that attitude of yours again. I don't like it."

"Burn in hell," Yugi said glaring at Ushio again. All of a sudden, Ushio's fist connected with Yugi's stomach. Yugi yelled in pain, and he held his stomach as he tried to get his breath back. Neither noticed that Yugi's bracelet started glowing a faint red.

"What the hell did you say to me!" yelled Ushio as he slammed Yugi once again on the wall, making the boy cry out again. Ushio smiled when he heard Yugi's scream, a twisted pleasure filling him. But before he could do anything more his body was filled with pain. Ushio screamed and let go of Yugi, dropping him to the ground. He stood there trembling as the pain dissipated. "The hell?"

Yugi sat where he fell, holding his stomach as he stared at the bigger teen. 'What happened?' he thought when suddenly he didn't feel anymore pain in his stomach or in his head. Yugi blinked then looked down at the bracelet, gasping in surprise at what he saw. Half of the bracelet was shining an angry red, and the other half a gentle blue (1). The colors shimmered for a few seconds before disappearing, and once again, the bracelet was completely silver. 'Yami's bracelet…it helped me. I knew I could count on him. Thanks Yami,' Yugi thought, smiling as he held the bracelet to his heart. Suddenly he was picked up, and was face to face with a very pissed Ushio.

"What did you do to me!"

"I-I don't k-know," Yugi said his heart racing in fear when he saw the anger in the other teen's black eyes.

"You little shit, you better not be lying," the bully said, pushing Yugi back against the wall.

"I s-swear I'm not! Please let me go!" Yugi said, trying to escape from the other's grip.

"Of course. How could I think that you can hurt me? You are just a weak, little loser," Ushio said, laughing at the fear he saw in the other's amethyst eyes. "Now what were we talking about? Oh yes, your death. After school, right? But you know, Yugi, my offer still stands."

"What?"

"Instead of you dying, I'll let you live only if you become my slave," said Ushio, grinning evilly as he pressed his body against Yugi's. Yugi froze when the other pushed against him, trying to keep his breathing controlled.

"Get off me," Yugi whispered.

"You aren't tall, Yugi, but you are built pretty well. I think you will be very good," Ushio continued, moving his right hand down and placing it on the inside of Yugi's thigh right next to the boy's length. He heard the gasp that the other emitted when he was touched, and smiled more. "So what do you say?"

"No! Get off me!" the smaller said as he tried to push Ushio off of him. "I won't do it! I'd rather die!"

"I don't think you mean that, Yugi. I'm sure it will be fun," the other said, pushing his body even more on Yugi's. Yugi was struggling wildly against his body, and it only made Ushio more enthusiastic. "It feels so good to have you under me," the teen moaned into Yugi's ear.

Yugi immediately stopped moving, and tried to stay as still as possible. Ushio groaned in frustration, but then leaned closer to the other's body. "So what is your answer?" he asked, bringing out his tongue and licking from Yugi's neck to his ear.

"No! I'll never give myself to you! I won't do it!" Yugi yelled, again trying to push the other teen off of him.

Ushio just chuckled and pulled away. "I'll give you the rest of the day to think about it." That said, he left Yugi alone.

Once he was out of sight, Yugi ran inside the building to the bathroom. He turned on the water and started scrubbing his neck very hard. 'Damnit! I can still feel it!' He continued scrubbing for a few more minutes until the side of his neck was completely red. He then turned off the faucet and looked at himself in the mirror. 'I won't give in to him. I refuse to let him use me! I'll only give myself to the one I love.' For a second Yugi though he saw Yami in the mirror. He shook his head and walked out of the bathroom, and back outside where his friends were waiting. 'The one I love. I wonder…who do I love?'

--------------------

"Hey, Bakura! Did you feel that?" asked Marik as he ran up to the silver haired Shadow. That's right, ran. The two were standing in a park surrounded by humans. It was their worst nightmares come true, and it was all that damn Seto's fault. If he hadn't said they had to search the town in the day, they would never have been anywhere near these mortals.

"I did. That was definitely Yami's magic. But it's too weak for me to find the location. Can you get anything?" Bakura asked as he leaned against a tree watching the humans pass by.

"Nothing. Has Seto contacted you?"

"Not yet. He said he would at noon, and that's in three minutes," said Bakura as he pulled out the cell phone that he had 'borrowed' from a human last night. "Damn, what I wouldn't give to leave this place. It reeks of humans."

"Well duh. But you are right, this place is like hell. I can't stand being around these people. They make me sick."

Bakura and Marik stood there in silence as they waited for the time to pass. They looked around the park at all the people who were walking by. It seemed that there were hundreds of them, and they just kept coming. One little boy saw them as he and his mother walked by and he pointed at them. "Lookie, Mommy! They have funny hair!" he said.

The two Shadows growled at him, bearing their fangs at the small boy. The boy shrieked and ran away from them, and Bakura and Marik smiled. "I hate human kids. They are such brats," said Marik. Bakura nodded and was about to say something when suddenly the cell phone rang. The two looked at it, and Bakura slowly opened the cover and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked hesitantly.

"Bakura, it's me. Is Marik there with you?" asked Seto from the other side.

"Yea, he's here. You find anything about Yami?"

"Nothing, but I felt that wave of magic."

"Us too. Do you know where it came from?"

"No, but it came from around Domino High School. I had picked up Yami's scent near there earlier, but it was mixed with a human's. I was close to the place, but then the scent disappeared, and I couldn't find it anymore."

"What's near Domino High School?" asked Marik as he took the phone from Bakura.

"Nothing important. No hospitals, no research labs, no universities, no government buildings. It's surrounded by apartments and houses. But it is only a ten minute walk to the central shopping district."

"Can you find where Yami's scent started from?" asked Bakura as he took the phone back.

"No. By the time I picked up the scent it was already near the school, so I couldn't find where it started from."

"Damn, it's like they are teasing us. Well what about the magic?"

"I don't know about that. It was offensive magic and healing magic at the same time. It's a weird combination, and not something Yami would usually do."

"But it was his magic right?"

"Definitely. I'd know that magic anywhere. I'm going to keep on searching near the school, and you two go on searching where you are. We'll meet in the park at four. Call me if you find anything. Bye."

"Bye," the two said. Bakura hung up the phone and sighed. "This isn't going so well."

"Yea, but at least we know that Yami is still alive. His magic wouldn't work if he wasn't," Marik responded as he stretched his arms.

"Unless they drained him of all of it."

"Humans don't know how to do that. Anyway, we better go on searching. So let's go, we have a long way to _walk_," Marik said with a groan.

"Don't say that word. It terrifies me," Bakura replied as the two set off.

--------------------------

"Yes! School is finally over!" cheered Malik as he and Jou raced out of the building.

"One day left till da weekend. Then I'm gonna sleep as long as I want," said Jou.

"You do that anyway," Honda said as he, Ryou, and Yugi walked out behind them.

"You shut up!" Jou replied. "Anyway, do ya guys wanna do something' tonight?"

"We already went to the movies yesterday. Besides, I have to study for geometry," Ryou said with a sigh. "I really hate math."

"Says the guy in an honors math class," Malik countered, glaring at Ryou who just smiled sheepishly back. "Anyway, what do you think, Yugi?"

"Actually, I can't. I have to do my homework and watch the shop."

"Aww, but that's no fun!" Malik said, grabbing Yugi and pulling him into a hug. "I don't want to leave you!"

"Malik, you'll see me tomorrow," Yugi said as he tried to get some air.

"But that's too far! I can't bear to be without you, Yugi my love!" Malik said with over exaggerated sadness.

"We'll be together again soon, Malik dear. But for now we must part," Yugi responded, pulling away with a dramatic sigh.

"Give it a rest, you two," Jou said.

"I can't help it if I love my little Yugi-chan," responded the Egyptian as he glared at the other blonde.

"I'm so flattered you care for me, Malik," Yugi said with a smile, batting his eyelashes at the other.

"But how could I not? You're my pretty, little Yugi," replied Malik as he pulled Yugi into another hug.

"As much as I would like to stay and watch the two of you," interrupted Ryou, "I have to go, and Malik is my ride. So I'll see you guys later." Ryou then pried Malik away from Yugi and dragged the blonde off towards the parking lot.

"I'm going too. Gotta meet my mom. See ya," waved Honda as he walked off.

"Come on, Yug'. Let's go through da park," Jou said, grabbing Yugi's arm and pulling him away from the school.

"But, Jou-" Yugi began.

"I'm not listening ta yer protests," said the blonde, and Yugi gave up. The two walked in silence to the park.

'If Ushio comes, then Jou will be dragged into this. I have to leave him as soon as possible.' "Jou, I can't stay too long."

"I know, I know. But I've barely seen ya all day. At the end of da park, we'll split up, ok? I know ya have a lot ta do."

"All right. I might be on the computer tonight, so I'll talk to you online." They walked along for ten more minutes, and reached the end of the park. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Jou."

"Later, Yug'. Be careful, ok." Yugi nodded then the two walked in opposite directions.

'Ushio should be appearing any time now,' thought Yugi as he stood at a crosswalk. 'I'll try to stay in the middle of the crowd or close to the street.' But unfortunately, there was some construction being done on the road, so Yugi had no other choice but to walk near the buildings. Each time he got close to an alley his heart started to race. Even though he was surrounded by a lot of people, he could still be taken. He was almost at the next corner, when suddenly he was pulled into an alley. 'I knew it,' he thought as he was once again pushed against a wall.

"I've been waiting for you, Yugi," said Ushio.

"Must you always slam me against a wall? I keep getting headaches."

"A headache isn't what you should be worried about. So what is your answer?"

"I told you. No." Yugi said, pulling away. He was about to walk away when he noticed that in front of him were Ushio's gang. They were completely blocking the alley, and there was no way for Yugi to escape. 'Shit.'

"Are you sure that is your final answer?" said Ushio from behind him. Then he placed his right hand on Yugi's right shoulder, and his left hand on Yugi's left hip. "Think very well."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" said Yugi as he pulled away again. "No fucking way! Now leave me alone!"

"This is your last chance, Yugi," Ushio said coming closer to the smaller teen. Yugi backed away until he was against a wall. "What is your answer?"

"Piss off," Yugi spat.

"Wrong answer," said Ushio and he punched Yugi in the stomach again. Before Yugi could fall to the ground, Ushio grabbed him and held him up. "You have a serious problem. I don't know why you want to die so bad, but me and the other guys will be happy to help you. Right guys?" The members of Ushio's gang laughed and came a little closer.

"Fuck you," Yugi told him. He knew he was in a bad situation, and he was only making it worse, but there wasn't much hope for him now. The only thing that could help him was the bracelet, but Yugi didn't know if it would work this time, or even how to make it work. And there was no one he could call because they were too deep in the alley.

"You should say 'fuck me'," Ushio answered. "But before I kill you, I'm going to do just that."

"What!"

"That's right. It would be such a waste to let you die without having some fun first. Since beating the shit out of you doesn't work, I've decided to do something else. And I'm going to take all the time I want." Ushio then slipped his left hand inside Yugi's shirt and started running his fingers up and down Yugi's chest, playing with his nipples. Then he ground his hips into Yugi's, moaning when he felt the other teen start moving around under him. "Gods, that feels so good."

"Stop it! Don't touch me!" Yugi yelled, tying to push the other off. But Ushio wouldn't budge, instead he rubbed their hips together again. He then moved his hand further down Yugi's chest, and placed it on the boy's hip. "Get off!"

"Now, Yugi, if you won't do it willingly, then I will just have to take you by force. But either way, I will have you." Ushio then started to rub Yugi's hip, moving towards his thigh. He felt the boy tense up, and heard him start whimpering and panting. That made Ushio smirk; he was getting to him. Once again, he pressed their hips together. Yugi tried to push him back, but his body was pressed against Ushio's, making the other let out another long moan. "Fuck yea, I want more."

"Let me go! Let me GO!" Yugi said as he continued to try to get the other off. But it was no use trying to escape from Ushio. The other teen crashed their groins together again. Yugi felt Ushio's arousal, which made him even more afraid. "Don't touch me! Just let me go! Please let me go!" he begged, tears starting to fall down his cheeks. 'Yami, please help me! Please, Yami! Don't let him do it!'

"You look so adorable when you are crying," Ushio said, laughing. He rubbed Yugi's inner thigh, then started to play with the boy's private area. "I think it will be even better if you keep struggling. But because I'm nice, I'll give you one last choice. I take you by force then kill you, or you agree to be my sex slave for life. What do you choose?"

"No! Let me go! I won't do it, I won't! Let me go! Stop!" More tears started falling from Yugi's eyes as he tried to keep the other off him. He was in hell. Ushio was touching him and he couldn't stop it.

"Too bad. You would have been such a pretty little fuck toy," was Ushio's answer before he ripped off Yugi's belt. Yugi screamed, and started punching Ushio's chest. Ushio got annoyed, and so he grabbed the boy's wrists and pinned them above his head. With his free hand, he started to rip off Yugi's pants, forcing his hand inside the boy's boxers and fondling him some more.

"NO! Don't! Please! Please don't do it!" Yugi screamed, crying even harder, but Ushio didn't listen. The other teen just kept touching him, laughing at his tears. 'Yami, help me! Please help me!' "YAMI!"

Before anyone could move another inch, the entire alley was filled with a blinding red light that seemed to pulsate. Everyone in the alley screamed and covered their eyes. Yugi felt Ushio let go of him, and he collapsed on the ground, curling into a ball as the light continued to shine. He was too afraid to realize that it was coming from his bracelet, and because his eyes were closed, he didn't notice that he was surrounded by a soft green light. As both lights faded, Yugi slowly opened his eyes. He saw that everyone else had been knocked unconscious. Yugi sat there on the ground trying to catch his breath as he tried to take in what had happened. Finally, after a few minutes, he gradually stood up. He grabbed his bag and backed away from the others slowly. Then he turned around and ran out of the alley and straight home.

-------------------

"What the hell was that!" yelled Bakura as he and Marik ran towards the alley. They had just been walking near a movie theatre when suddenly they felt a huge burst of Yami's magic come from nowhere.

"Something must have happened to Yami!" Marik replied as they got closer. Though they had to stop at a crosswalk because the light was green and the traffic was moving. "Damnit! At this rate we might be too late!"

"Marik, look!" said Bakura, pointing to a figure that was running through the crowds. "It's Yami!"

"What!" The blonde Shadow looked over to where Bakura was pointing, and sure enough, he saw a familiar head of tri-colored hair. "Shit, we have to catch him!" The traffic light was still green, but there were no cars coming, so Marik darted out across the street, causing the other pedestrians to scream and yell.

"Marik, you jackass!" cried Bakura as he followed him. "Don't get yourself killed!"

"Shut it, we have to catch him!" The two chased after the figure, going as fast as they could, which was pretty fast considering they weren't human. Though the crowd was thick, and they kept having to stop and move out of the way for others.

"YAMI!" Bakura called out, echoed by Marik.

"Yami, stop! It's us!" cried Marik, but the figure didn't stop. The male kept running, but once he turned his head slightly around. Marik saw a face that looked exactly like Yami's except this boy had large amethyst eyes. "Bakura, wait. That isn't Yami," the blonde said, stopping.

"What do you mean! Who else has hair like that?"

"I don't know, but that person has violet eyes."

"Are you sure? He was far ahead, maybe you saw wrong."

"Maybe, but isn't it strange that we haven't picked up his scent at all while we were chasing that guy?"

Then Bakura realized that it was true. Not once had they gotten Yami's scent. But how could that be possible? Why would Yami mask his scent? There were no others that could pick it up. Also, Yami would have picked up their scents and stopped. Could it be that the person was a human? "This is getting weird." Just then, Bakura's cell phone rang, and he answered it. "Yea?"

"You two felt that, right?"

"How could we not! It was so strong, they probably felt it back home. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm on my way over there."

"Yo, Seto," Marik said, taking the phone away, "we thought we saw Yami, but it wasn't him."

"What do you mean?"

"The guy looked exactly like Yami, so we started running after him, calling him to stop. But he didn't stop once. Then we realized that we hadn't picked up Yami's scent at all, and I saw the guy's eyes. They were purple instead of crimson."

"So you are telling me that there is a human that looks exactly like Yami except for his eyes?"

"Basically," answered Bakura.

"All right. We'll meet at the place where the magic source came from. But did you get anything else from the human male."

"Yea," Marik said. "I got his scent."

--------------------

"What the hell?" Yami said as he jumped up from the floor. He just felt a huge burst of magic travel over the city. A huge burst of _his _magic. "What's going on?" He had not used his magic, and yet it was enveloping his senses, and overpowering him. And not just that, he suddenly felt weaker. Yami had felt the tug when the magic left him, and it was one hell of a strong tug.

There was no way his magic could have been activated or even moved without his will. Unless…oh no! Something must have happened to Yugi! That was the only other explanation. It must have been something really bad to take that much magic. "Damn it! Where is he!" Yami started pacing back and forth, constantly looking out the window. This wasn't the only time today that he had felt the magic leave him. Yugi must have been in trouble earlier, and again now. "It was that Ushio, I just know it! If that fucker did anything to Yugi, he's going to pay!"

While the Shadow King was pacing, he sensed Yugi nearby. A minute later, he heard the door open and slam shut, and footsteps run up the stairs. Yami felt the immense fear even from far away, and he got the scent of tears. Yugi's form suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, and the two stared at each other. Yami saw that his face was soaked with tears with more still falling. The King's eyes roamed over Yugi's body looking for injuries, when he noticed that Yugi's pants and boxers had been ripped and torn. It looked like someone had tried to force them off. Yami then knew what Ushio had done, and he was angrier than he had ever been. He looked back up at Yugi's face, and saw the fear and despair in the human's amethyst eyes, and the Shadow felt his heart break. "Oh, Yugi…"

"Yami…" Yugi started. The boy then dropped his bag on the ground and launched himself at the Shadow, holding him tightly as the tears started to flow more heavily. "Yami, he…he…" Yugi tried to say, but he couldn't get anymore words out as he started sobbing.

Yami felt tears start to rise in his own eyes, but he blinked them away. This was not a time for him to cry. He needed to be strong for Yugi's sake, and he would have to keep his emotions to himself. Yami pulled the crying boy to the couch, and sat down. He held Yugi tightly as he whispered comforting things in his ear. Seeing that it wasn't working, he pulled the human into his lap and started rocking back and forth while stroking Yugi's sides. After a while, Yugi seemed to calm down, and just sat there in Yami's lap, crying quietly. "Yugi, what did he do to you?" asked Yami softly.

"He…he was going…going to…" but Yugi shook his head and started to sob lightly again.

"Yugi, please tell me what happened," Yami asked, worried that he was right in his assumption.

"He was going to rape me," Yugi finally managed to say.

'Going to. Which means he didn't.' "He didn't?" Yugi nodded his head, and Yami felt relief flow through him. 'Thank goodness.' "It's ok, Yugi. He won't hurt you again. But what happened?"

"Earlier today he…he grabbed me in s-school and…and said that I had t-two choices," Yugi started to explain, pausing whenever he sobbed. "I could either be his sex slave for life or…or I'd die. I said no, but he s-said that I…I had till the end of the school day to decide. I tried to be careful when I was coming back, b-but he grabbed me and pulled me into an alley. He asked me what my decision w-was, and I said no. Then h-he grabbed me again, and…and he started to…to…touch me." Yugi's grip on Yami tightened as his body trembled, and the Shadow had to start rocking back and forth again to calm him.

'That fucking bastard!' thought Yami. 'He's going to pay for this. I swear I'm going to rip his dick off and shove it down his throat if I ever see him!' "What happened next?" the King asked Yugi, trying to keep any anger out of his voice.

"I tried to push him off. I really did! But I c-couldn't get him off. No matter what I did…I couldn't get him off!" Yugi closed his eyes as more tears streamed down his cheeks. "He took off m-my belt, then started to rip off my pants, and…and he p-put his hand in-inside my pants. Then…"

"Then what? Yugi, please tell me."

"Then the alley was filled with…with this bright red light, and when it disappeared, e-everyone was unconscious but me. I…I was scared, so I r-ran back here. But I was s-so scared, Yami. I thought he would really do it!"

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you." 'At least I know why my magic left me. Gods, if I hadn't given him that bracelet, Yugi would have been raped then killed. That damn son of a bitch! How can anyone do that to Yugi? Fucking hell, I can't take this!' "He's going to pay, Yugi. I'll get him and make him pay for everything he's done to you."

"No, Yami! Please don't!"

"But why not? How many times has he hurt you? How many times could you have died? What if he had gone through with it! He needs to be taught a lesson!"

"No, Yami, please. I don't want you to get involved," Yugi said looking up at the Shadow with teary eyes.

"Too late! No one hurts my friends and gets away with it. Yugi, if he isn't stopped he's going to keep coming after you. The worst thing he can do isn't to kill you. The worst is that he rapes you and lets you live. I don't want you to go through life suffering because of that bastard."

"But what if you get hurt again? I can't live if I know you got hurt because of me."

"There is no way that ass wipe can hurt me. I have to get him back for what he's done to you. If I don't help you, then I will feel like the worst being on the planet."

"But…Yami, you…" said Yugi, closing his eyes and placing his forehead on Yami's shoulder.

"Don't think about it anymore, Yugi. You are safe now, and that is all that matters. You need to get some rest." Yugi just shook his head, and tried to keep his eyes open. "Please, Yugi. Go to sleep. It's been a bad day, and you need to recover," Yami said, gently wiping the tears from Yugi's cheeks.

"I…I'm scared he'll get me," Yugi whispered.

"He won't get you. I'll be here the entire time." Yami then got up, and placed Yugi on the couch, putting a pillow under the boy's head. He then sat down on the ground next to the couch.

"You promise?" Yugi asked as his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.

"I promise." 'I won't leave your side Yugi. And I won't let you get hurt. You mean too much to me. But exactly how much…I don't know.'

--------------------

"Ok, so we're all here now," said Seto as he, Bakura, and Marik walked into the alley where the magic was coming from. It was really strong, and they could still feel it in the air, surrounding the entire area. Marik walked towards a wall and placed his hand on it, but immediately pulled it away when he felt a bolt of magic flow through him. It felt like electricity had just been shot through his body. It was painful.

"Damn. Something really bad must have happened for Yami to use all this magic," he said.

"Yami usually doesn't use this much for anything. He was either desperate, or wasn't thinking clearly when he was using it," responded Seto, before looking down the alley. "The center of the magic seems to be coming from further down."

The three Shadows continued walking, feeling around for the source. The closer they got to it, the more chills they felt flow down their spine. They had never felt that much magic from Yami, and they were worried. If he had to use this much, then something was definitely wrong. The alley was becoming darker, and the smell of urine, beer, cigarettes, and human filled their senses, making them want to throw up.

"Why the hell would Yami be down here?" asked Bakura, holding his nose to keep from picking up the smells.

"I don't know, but it's horrible here," said Marik, also holding his nose.

"I know it smells bad, but we have to keep going," said Seto. "We're getting close." They finally got to the end of the alley, and were almost knocked back by the strength of the magic. Seto walked over to the left wall, and placed his hand on the wall. "It's here. This is where the magic started from."

"Here?" asked Bakura, looking around. He walked around the place, but couldn't pick up anything but the magic. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Seto replied, kneeling down and moving his hand around the ground. "This is the place where it is strongest, but in this spot I'm picking up only protective magic."

"So, Yami was attacking and protecting himself at the same time? Yami usually wouldn't waste his time trying to protect himself. Even if he was in trouble he'd just keep fighting the others," said Marik.

"You're right. Yami wouldn't do that. But I can't pick up the Master's scent at all in this place." responded the blue eyed Shadow.

"Neither can I," said Bakura. "It's strange. How can Yami's magic be here, but not his scent?"

"There is no reason for him to hide his scent," Seto said, moving over to the end wall. "He knows we'd be looking for him, so he'd try to spread his scent out as much as possible."

"Wait, guys," Marik said, sniffing the air. "That human that looks like the Master…I can pick up his scent all around this place."

"So instead of Yami, the human that looks like him was here?" asked Bakura.

"Hey you two," said Seto, sniffing around the end wall. "Do you smell that?" Bakura and Marik came closer and sniffed the air, but immediately stepped away.

"It's the smell of fear," answered Bakura. "Not just that, but I can smell anger, the scent of arousal, and the scent of salt water."

"Its tears," replied Malik. "Over here I can pick up the scent of that human, but there is another one here too. It's male and has the scent of arousal all over him. Something must have been happening here, and by the amount of fear and the scent of tears that I'm picking up, it wasn't pretty."

"That human seems to be everywhere. But isn't it strange that Yami can't be found anywhere?" asked Seto.

"What do you mean?" Bakura said, leaning against the wall.

"What if Yami was never here? What if it was that human that used the magic? That's the only thing I can think of," said Seto, running a hand through his chestnut brown hair. He looked around the area, but couldn't find anything that would prove Yami had been there.

"How can that be possible? Most humans don't believe in magic, and these modern humans don't know we exist anymore. How can one have used Yami's magic?" Marik asked.

"Maybe he _does_ know of us. Maybe that human is the one who is keeping Yami. He might have forced Yami to give him his magic."

"Unless Yami gave his magic willingly," said Bakura. All three stopped to think of that possibility, but soon forgot about it. The Master would never, for the life of him give his magic to a human.

"But…maybe he did," said Marik as he closed his lavender eyes. "There is protection magic here, so maybe Yami gave his magic to save that human boy."

"Come on, the Master hates humans more than any other Shadow in the world," Bakura said. "He wouldn't waste his breath saving one. If he did give his magic to a human, then he must have suffered brain damage."

"But don't you find it strange that Yami's scent can't be found at all in this place, or in any place nearby? Instead of Yami, it's the human's scent that is all over. He was the one who was here, and the protection magic is centered around his scent. That boy is involved with this," responded Seto.

"So you are saying that Yami gave his magic willingly to save a _human_?" Marik asked.

"I don't know," Seto answered. "But we need to find that human boy. I have his scent now. What about you, Bakura?" The addressed Shadow nodded, and Seto turned towards the exit of the alley. "Ok then. We must start searching right now. That boy is the key to finding Yami, I just know it. It's seven, so meet back here in three hours. If you find him then call." The other two Shadows nodded, and the three ran to the end of the alley. At the street, they took off in different directions, each looking for that one human boy.

------------------------------

Yugi moaned lightly as he slowly woke up from his sleep. His amethyst eyes opened, and looked around the room. For a second he didn't know where he was, but as his vision came into focus, he realized that he was lying on the couch. A movement beside him made him turn his head. He was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Yami, and he smiled softly. The Shadow King was kneeling on the ground next to the couch, and his arms were folded on the couch. His head was resting on his arms, and he was facing Yugi. His wings were expanded slightly behind him, and fluttered occasionally.

The human teen let his gaze wander over the features of the other male. Yami's golden skin looked soft and delicate. His narrow crimson eyes were closed, with long, thick black lashes outlining them. His nose was straight and smooth, and his lips were full and red, and looked so soft that Yugi was tempted to kiss them. High cheek bones drew attention to his eyes, and Yugi found himself getting lost in those garnet orbs over and over. His hair was also amazing, golden bangs giving way to dark obsidian spikes that looked as if they had been dipped in rubies. Yami's bangs softly caressed his cheeks with every rise and fall of his chest. His breathing was soft, not even audible, and his breath caused his bangs to quiver. He looked absolutely gorgeous lying there, and Yugi felt his heart skip a few beats. He breathed in deeply and picked up the intoxicating smell of spicy cinnamon, a scent that belonged only to Yami.

'He is very handsome,' Yugi thought as he continued to watch the other sleep. 'Someone like him deserves to have only the most beautiful of lovers. I wonder if he's married, and maybe he has kids. Anyone would be lucky to have him.' Yugi sighed, then moved his gaze to the window, and he watched the sun slowly set behind the skyscrapers of the city. 'I like him. I know I like him, but I don't love him…do I? I have only known him for four days, so it's impossible that I can love him. Besides, he would never love or even like me in return. He hates humans, he keeps telling me that. And I don't even know if he likes guys. Damn, I sure picked one hell of a guy to get a crush on.'

Yugi then turned his gaze back to the still sleeping Shadow. He saw that some of Yami's bangs had moved in front of his eyes, and Yugi gently brushed them back, amazed that the other's hair felt so silky. He hesitated for a second before running his hand through Yami's hair. 'No one, especially not Yami, can ever know of my crush.' Yugi closed his eyes, letting his head fall back on the pillow, and he continued to run a hand through the King's hair. 'He will one day leave me, so what good is it to fall in love?'

Because he had his eyes closed, he didn't notice that Yami had woken up. The Shadow was brought out of his slumber when he felt something drift through his hair. He was very surprised to see that Yugi was petting his hair softly. He wasn't complaining though. It felt very nice, like when the human pet his wings. It was calming, and Yami liked it. He sat there unmoving and stared at Yugi while the teen's hand continued to flow through his tresses. 'Though I wonder why he is doing it,' he thought.

Just as that thought left him, Yugi opened his eyes. He looked to the side and froze when he saw that the King was looking at him. With a gasp, he removed his hand, and sat up quickly. "Yami! I-I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd wake you up! Man, I shouldn't have done that, and I-"

"It's ok, Yugi," the elder teen said, silencing the other. "I didn't mind. In fact, I enjoyed it."

"R-really? So you aren't mad?"

"No. Why should I be mad?"

"Because you don't like being touched by a human," Yugi answered softly, turning his head away from the other.

"Normally, yes. But you are my friend, so I don't mind." Yami said. Yugi turned back around, and Yami saw that his eyes were shining with happiness. He smiled at the human, who gave him a big smile back. "So are you feeling better?"

"Yea. Thanks, Yami, for making me feel better," Yugi replied, and before Yami knew what was happening, he found himself in another embrace. His heart started racing again, but instead of hesitating, he returned the hug. He held Yugi as closely as he could, not wanting to let go of the wonderful being in his arms.

"You're welcome Yugi. You know I'd do anything for you," Yami replied, letting out a blissful sigh.

"Thanks," Yugi said again before pulling away. Yami then noticed that he looked deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, mentally pouting because he was no longer holding the human.

"Yami, what is your life like?" Seeing the confusion on the King's face, he rephrased the question. "What is your life like back at the palace?"

"Why do you want to know?" the Shadow asked, getting up off the ground and sitting on the couch right next to Yugi.

"Because I'm curious. And…your life seems to be better than mine," was the human's answer. Yami frowned as he thought over those words and realized that his life was a million times better than Yugi's. It wasn't right that the boy had to suffer so much at such a young age.

"Well…I have a lot of responsibilities. I have to constantly attend meetings with my advisors and representatives. The meetings always have to do with either the well being of the Shadows, some political incident between two officials, the constant threat of humans, or something else like that. If I'm not in meetings, then I'm traveling to different continents to handle a situation in another Shadow city. And if I'm not doing either of those two things, then I'm going over legal statements, sorting records of any major events that have happened, or remaking laws and doctrines to fit in with the modern times."

"…wow. That sounds like a lot of work. Don't you have any free time?"

"Yes, but usually in my free time, I'm either catching up on the week's worth of sleep that I missed, or working even more. It isn't so easy being the King. Everyone comes to me for advice or for help, and sometimes I can't do anything for them. Other times I have so much to do that I work twenty four hours a day, not stopping to eat, or sleep, or for any breaks."

"But when you aren't working, what do you do?" Yugi was very interested in hearing about the other's life. It was amazing to hear of everything that Yami had to do. He couldn't imagine ever doing that himself, but then, he wasn't important enough to be given those responsibilities.

"Then I hang out with my friends. There is a large lake that is on the palace grounds, and sometimes we go swimming. Or we go downtown and see a movie, or go to the arcade. I try to live a normal life, and when I get the opportunity, I take it."

"You have movie theatres and arcades where you live?"

"Of course. What did you think it was like? The place where I live is a lot like Domino, except a little smaller.

"But…how is it that the humans haven't found you?"

"Magic," Yami said simply. "There is a huge, invisible barrier over every Shadow city, town, or village. It expands a little further than the limits of the places so that the Shadows aren't stuck in there. And yes, we have television, phones, and computers too."

"And cars?"

"We have cars and busses, but we use transportation magic to go to far places, because it's impossible to fly from one end of the country to the other, or to travel to a different country using wings."

"Wow. It sounds amazing! It's too bad I'm a human. I'd like to see it."

"Is there anything else you want to know?" Yami was amused that Yugi found it so amazing. To him, it was a major bore.

"Well…" 'Should I ask him if he's single? Would that seem too rude? But I'm dying to find out.' "What about your personal life?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are…are you…with someone?" Yugi asked, hanging his head so that Yami wouldn't see his embarrassment.

Yami blinked when he heard the question. 'With someone? Why does he want to know that? And…is he blushing?' He decided he should answer the question, as he was now very curious as to where it would lead. "No, I am not with anyone."

"Oh," Yugi said, extremely happy with the answer he was given. At least he knew that now he could fantasize about Yami and not feel guilty that he was taking him away from someone else. Not that he _would_ fantasize about Yami! He just…didn't want to feel like he was doing something bad. But thinking about Yami like that was bad anyway. He knew that they could never be together in real life. At least he could be with him in his dreams…though he wasn't thinking like that about the other! He just meant that _if _he ever did. But that would never happen! Yugi didn't think of Yami like that. No way, never!

"Yugi, why do you want know about that?"

"Well…you said you are always busy. I just wanted to know if there was someone with you to help you. You know…to support you, or to spend time with you." 'Good job, Yugi. Just keep lying. He'll never know the real reason.'

"I see," Yami said slowly, gazing at the other intently. 'There is something he's hiding. I wonder what it is. He asked me that question for a reason. I wonder…if I said something else, how would he take it? Where would he lead it?' "I have dated people before."

"Oh really?" Yugi replied, slightly annoyed. He just had to ruin his happiness.

"Yea. I've had many relationships with males and females. The most recent one was with the friend that I told you about, Marik," responded Yami as he leaned back, placing his arms over the back of the couch. Because Yugi was sitting on his left, Yami's left arm went behind him, looking like he had his arm wrapped around Yugi's shoulder. The Shadow saw the small blush in Yugi's cheeks, and mentally smirked when the human scooted away slightly. 'Any second now and he'll tell me what his secret is.'

"Really? And how long did that last?" Yugi asked, trying to act as normal as possible. He knew what Yami was doing, and he knew that he had to be strong or else he'd reveal everything. But there was one good thing that came from that, and that was that Yugi now knew that Yami liked guys as well.

"About seven hundred fifty years. We had some fun times. I can remember everything that we did. Even though we broke up, he's still one of my closest friends…though at times he's a jackass."

"Really? How nice," Yugi said, accidentally letting in some slight sarcasm. He mentally cursed himself when he saw the victorious look in Yami's eyes. Though the other didn't let the victory reveal itself in his voice. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, and stared at Yugi.

"What's with that tone?" Yami asked 'innocently'. "It sounds like you are jealous." 'Ha! He's falling into my trap.'

"Me? Jealous? What makes you think that? I'm just saying that I think it's nice that you two are still friends. I don't know where you got the jealous part from," Yugi replied, shrugging it off.

'Oh, he's good.' "Well, what about you? Have you ever dated someone?" Yami asked, scooting closer to the human teen.

"Nope," was Yugi's answer. "I have never dated anyone." Yugi noticed Yami had gotten closer, so he moved further away from the King. He wasn't going to let him get too close, not until he wanted it.

"Really? And who would you date? I mean, is there someone you like?" questioned the Shadow as he came closer. He saw Yugi move away again, noticing that the boy was nearing the end of the couch. A few inches more and he'd be pressed against the armrest.

'Yea, you.' "Not really. There was a friend I once liked, but she moved to Tokyo. We still keep in touch, and talk very often, but I have no more feelings for her."

"Oh…ok," was all Yami said, and Yugi could see the confusion and slight disappointment in his crimson eyes. 'Does he not like guys?' Yami thought. 'That's too bad. I had hoped…wait…hoped what? I didn't hope for anything. Why would I care if he likes boys or girls? But then…why do I feel sad?' "Anyone else?"

"Yea, there was this one guy that I knew a few years ago. He moved to Australia, and we haven't talked since then," said Yugi. 'Is this what you wanted me to say? To tell you if I liked boys or girls?'

"Interesting," Yami replied, nodding his head. "So you're bi?"

"Yes."

"I see." 'Ok, so he likes guys too. That isn't a reason for me to feel so happy. And yet I do. I don't know what is going on with me this week.' "So if you haven't dated, what have you done?" Yami asked, again moving nearer to the human.

"And why should I tell you that?" Yugi asked with a smirk. He moved away again, feeling the armrest touch his back. 'Damn, no more room. Guess I'll have to let him come closer.'

"Oh, come on. I told you about my life. I am very curious," Yami said with his own smirk. He moved closer to the human, and was close to lying on top of him. The scent of strawberries reached his nose, and he suddenly felt dizzy. But it was the good kind of dizzy, making his head spin. Vaguely he wondered how it was that Yugi always smelled of strawberries. Maybe he bathed in them…and cue the perverted thoughts.

"Well, if you really must know, I have done nothing." Yugi was a bit nervous that Yami was so close to him, but he didn't let it show. He didn't even lean back when Yami moved closer. He knew that any more, and the Shadow would be completely covering him, but he didn't move at all.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. I haven't even been kissed." 'Let's see what you make with that, Yami.'

"You've never had a kiss? I've had many." 'I wonder…if I just lean a little closer.' And Yami did just that, and Yugi had no other choice but to lie down completely on the couch. The King then came closer, and the only way to support himself was by holding himself up with his hands. He was straddling Yugi, and his chest was leaning on the human's. Yami felt both their hearts beat in time with one another, as if they were beating _for_ one another.

"And I'm sure you are very experienced." 'Is he going to…no…he wouldn't kiss me. But, gods, I wish he would.'

"Well, I am," the Shadow said. "And maybe," he continued as he leaned closer, "I can," he said, bringing his face closer to Yugi's, his lips hovering a few inches above the human's, "teach…you."

"Maybe you can," was all Yugi said, then he let his eyes slowly shut as Yami closed the distance between them. He could feel the King's breath against his lips, and a shiver went down his spine. Their lips weren't even an inch apart, and they were _just_ about to touch.

Suddenly the phone rang, bringing the two out of the dreamy state they had been in. They blinked and stared at each other, realizing the compromising position they were in. Yami slowly got off Yugi, moving towards the other end of the couch, his mind reeling. Yugi lay there for a few more seconds before he got up. Without a word he went to answer the phone. Yami didn't notice that he had left the room to talk on the phone as he was too busy going over what had just taken place.

'Hell, did I…were we…did we just…gods, I almost kissed him! Why the hell did I do that? I…I…I can't kiss him. If I kiss him that means that I li- no! I do NOT like him! I can't like him. I can't, I can't, I can't! I can't love a human. Did I say love? I mean 'like'. I don't like him, so why should I say love? There is no reason to bring that word in, because I don't love or like him. I don't like him, I don't like him, I don't love him. I don't love Yugi. I…don't…don't…love Yugi. Don't…love Yugi. Love Yugi.'

Yugi came back in the room, still slightly dazed. He saw Yami sitting on the other end of the couch from where they were laying. The King was staring at a spot on the floor, and he seemed to be in deep thought. But those thoughts didn't seem to be pleasant ones since he looked worried about something. Yugi slowly walked over to the Shadow, a little nervous about being close to him after what just happened. He stood behind him, and coughed to get his attention. When Yami turned around, Yugi gave him a small smile. "That was my jii-chan. He can't come home for another week."

"So he'll have been gone three weeks?" Yami asked, and Yugi nodded in agreement. "And you are ok with that?"

"He has a lot of stuff to do with the game conventions and helping archeologists with their research. I understand, so I'm fine."

"But you shouldn't be alone."

"I'm not alone," Yugi responded, turning his head away and blushing. "A-anyway, I have to go do my homework. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Yugi then turned around and walked up stairs, leaving Yami alone. 'Damnit, jii-chan!' Yugi thought as he entered his room. 'Why did you have to call at that time? We were _so_ close! He almost kissed me, but…then again he probably wouldn't have anyway. Why would he ever want me?' The boy wiped away a stray tear from his cheek before opening his books and working.

------------------------------

It was midnight, and all of Japan was asleep. Well, most of Japan was asleep. But in the Shadow city of Kyall Arie (2) the locals were still up. Light engulfed the city, streaming out from apartments, restaurants, stores, and houses. The streets were filled with cars with music blaring from the radios while the passengers sang along. The busses were packed as well, people constantly getting on and off, heading towards home, or going away from it. Shadows of all ages were out that night. The young lined up at the movie theaters in big groups. The old strolled through the parks, reminiscing about the past. The ones in between hurried to make their reservation at restaurants, while others walked lazily towards downtown where the nightclubs were teeming with activity. It was a busy night in Kyall Arie as usual.

Kyall Arie was the most important Shadow city in the world because it was where the Shadow King lived. His great palace was at the northern most part of the city, and towered above the rest of the buildings. A long road lead to the entrance, lined with beautiful trees and exotic flowers of multiple colors. Large marble statues were on the each side of the road, each depicting a past king. The one furthest from the entrance was the first king, and the one closest was the previous king, the father of the present one. A giant, white wall surrounded the castle, blocking the view of the rest of the palace. The entrance gate was black, and on each gate was a large, solid gold feather. When the gates were closed, the tops of the feathers touched. The only other things that could be seen were five towers that stretched high into the sky, four at each corner of the wall, and the last one in the center back. Each tower had a flag at the top, and the center tower had a tapestry hanging from under the top window. The flags and tapestry bore the symbol of the royal family. The symbol was two black feathers that were crossed to look like an 'x' inside a golden crown, on a dark blue background.

Candles, flowers, wreaths, cards, posters, and banners were placed around the wall, surrounding the entire palace. Groups of Shadows had their heads bowed in silence, and some whispered prayers to the gods. Others stood there and looked upon the castle with stoic faces, while others touched the walls, tears rolling down their cheeks. There were all there in respect to their King. Everyone loved King Yami, or that's what they thought. This King was the best that had ever come to power. He was kind, caring, just, fair, smart, understanding, and all around wonderful. Though Yami was still very young, he had made so many changes in the lives of the Shadows, and they were all for the better. He loved his people as much as they loved him. None could believe that anyone wanted him dead. They wanted Yami back, and though it had been almost three weeks since the attack on him, they all believed that their King was alive. No one would loose faith in him. Yami _would _return, and their lives would return to normal.

In the back of the crowds one lone male stood watching the others. A short breeze came by, making his green bangs blow into his eyes. He brushed them back, and ran his hand through the rest of his hair, which was black. Cold orange eyes looked around for a bit more, before the man turned away. His long, black cloak billowed behind him as he headed off down the path. The man, in his mid twenties, was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt, and black pants. Studded black boots clicked on the ground, joined by the jingle of the multiple black bracelets he wore. He wore a long gold necklace, and three earrings in each ear. His left eyebrow was pierced, and on the right side of his neck part of a tattoo could be seen .

This man walked though the streets, heading towards downtown. Soon he was in the center of downtown, known as 'The Jungle'. The man passed by many clubs and bars, strongly tempted to enter, but he was busy. He had a very important thing to attend. The male continued to walk down the sidewalk, examining the women that stood on the corners. Female Shadows of exotic birth were everywhere, dressed in tight, revealing clothes. Their wings were fanned out, the black scales shimmering with traces of colors that matched their eyes. Some were pierced, some were tattooed, and others were normal, but they were all beautiful to look at. He winked at them while he walked by, and they fanned their wings out more, inviting him to come over, but he couldn't be distracted. He had to arrive soon, or he'd get in trouble.

Soon the man exited the bright 'Jungle', and entered into a run down apartment complex. He went up five flights of stairs, and walked down a dimly lit hallway, the bare bulbs flickering on and off. He stopped at a door that had the symbol of an upside down crown on the handle. The man turned the handle and entered into a dark room, the only light coming from three candles on a table that was in the middle of the room. An old chair was the only other piece of furniture in the room. It was on the left of the table and was facing the door. Whispers were coming from another room, and the man glanced around, looking for something.

"You're late," came a voice from his left, and the man turned towards the speaker. Though he could not see the other, he knew who it was.

"I'm sorry, Leader. There were many people, so it was hard to get through," the man said, bowing while he spoke.

"I don't need to hear your excuses. Don't be late again," replied the other. The person who spoke came closer to the other, and a male form was revealed. This new male walked towards the chair and sat down. A pearly shimmer was seen, and the man brushed something away from his face. This one, called Leader, was wearing a large, black cloak that covered his entire body, and a hood that covered his head. The only part of his face that could be seen was his nose and his mouth. Leader's hidden eyes looked at the man who was still bowed in front of him, narrowed in annoyance at the other.

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever," Leader replied, his dark irises scanning around the room for the others. "So what do you have for me?" he asked.

"The people still have hope that Yami will come back," the orange eyed man said. "Huge crowds are always there, day and night. People hold vigils and pray to the gods for his safe return."

"They are all fools," said another voice, and a black haired man came out of the other room. "Yami won't come back. It's been too long."

"You're the one who is a fool," Leader spat at him. "Yami is alive, and still as powerful."

Surprised gasps and murmurs flew through the apartment, and ten more male Shadows appeared in the room. They couldn't believe that the King had survived the attack. They had all thought that Yami was dead. After all, it had been more than two weeks, and no sign of Yami had been found.

"Leader, are you sure?" the black haired man asked.

"Positive. His scent was picked up near the human city of Domino. A search went out to look for him, and it was discovered that Yami is still alive. It seems that Yami has crossed paths with a human."

"A human?" another male Shadow asked.

"Yes. There is a human teenage boy that looks like Yami. It seems that this human has gotten some of Yami's power. He either took it, or, and this is the shocking part, Yami gave his magic to the human willingly."

"You have to be kidding!" the orange eyed male cried out. "Willingly?"

"That's what I said. But it's not completely sure if that's true. But Yami's magic is still as strong as ever, which means that he has gotten better. Which doesn't make me happy!" Leader said, banging a fist on the arm rest.

"But…he was badly hurt that night," said the black haired Shadow.

"Not bad enough, obviously. He shouldn't have survived, but you idiots let him escape! What part of 'kill him at all costs' didn't you understand!" Leader shouted, glaring at the others. "And instead of going after him, you decided to stay and fight the guards! You twelve and the others were complete idiots!"

"But, Leader, we searched through the woods surrounding Kyall Arie, and even went all the way to the edge of the human part of the woods, but we didn't find him." said a blue haired shadow.

"Did I ask for your commentary!" Leader yelled, storming over to the Shadow. "Did I!"

"No, sir," the Shadow said quietly, trembling slightly.

"Then shut the hell up! I'm already pissed off enough as it is, so if you don't want to die, keep your mouth shut. You got that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Leader?" called the black haired Shadow.

"What the hell is it?" Leader asked with an annoyed groan.

"Do you…have a plan about what to do if Yami shows up?"

"I wouldn't need one if you idiots hadn't let him go. But as for a plan, I don't have one yet. It's too soon."

"Why don't we go looking for him? Take some Shadows and go to the human city, and search for him." the orange eyed Shadow said.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. You want to take an army of Shadows, storm into a human city and search for Yami? Is that your plan?" Leader asked. The other Shadow didn't say anything at all, so Leader continued. "That's what you want to do? That's the plan you thought of?" The other Shadow still didn't say anything, and Leader turned around to the others. "Who in here thinks that is a good plan? Well?"

Not one Shadow spoke, and not one moved. No one wanted to get Leader mad at him. "Come on, don't be shy," continued Leader. "Tell me, who thinks that we should go with his plan?" Still there was no answer, and Leader turned back around to the orange eyed Shadow. "It seems that no one likes your plan. I wonder why. Maybe it's because it's the most idiotic plan in history! Do you think that if we take a huge army into a human city, we'll find Yami faster? Is that what you think? Because if it is, then you are a brainless moron!" Leader then sat down in the chair and sighed, covering his eyes with his hand. 'This is not how things were supposed to go,' he thought. He then removed his hand from his eyes, and stared into the flames of the candle. "We'll wait."

"Sir?" asked the black haired Shadow.

"We'll wait until it's been proven that Yami is really alive. We can't do anything unless he's back in Kyall Arie. Or at least until he's back in Shadow part of the woods."

"And that human?" the other asked.

"Him? I don't know what to do about him. He could have just been a one time thing. But I'm getting the feeling that he's going to be a lot of trouble for us."

"But what can a human do?" asked a Shadow with gray eyes.

"You'd be surprised at how much one can do. Especially if he has the power of the Shadow King on his side. If that human manages to get Yami's power, then our plans will have a drastic change. Worse will be if Yami and that human join up."

"Join up?"

"It seems that Yami has protected that human. Not once, but twice. That human seems to have a connection with Yami, and that's dangerous to us. If those two join up, then it's over."

"But Yami will never join forces with a human."

"We can't be so sure of that. That human could be the biggest threat we'll face."

"So what do we do about him?" asked the orange eyed Shadow.

"We'll have to wait to find out more. It all depends on when Yami comes back, if he really is alive. But if he is alive, and if he and that human do join forces, then we'll just have to get rid of that human."

"That won't be easy if Yami is protecting him," said the black haired Shadow.

"True, but it might be our only option. If that human boy gets too involved with Yami, then everything will be ruined. Yami won't die so easily if he has something in this world to hold on to. So we'll have to kill that human."

"It might backfire," the gray eyed Shadow said.

"Meaning?"

"If other humans hear that he's been murdered, then a search for the killer will start. Most likely Yami will tell them who killed him, and he'll reveal our race."

"No he won't," Leader replied with a dark smile. "If the human boy is dead, then Yami will be too heartbroken to care about anything. And then taking over the throne will be easy."

"Will Yami care that much for the human?"

"Yami is too sensitive for his own good. He'll definitely care for that human. So that's good and bad for us. But we have to wait. It all depends on if Yami's alive or not. We'll just have to wait. If there is any new information about Yami then I'll call another meeting. Until then, try not to do anything stupid like blow our cover. Now go."

The twelve other Shadows bowed and walked out of the apartment, leaving Leader alone in the room. The Shadow looked at the three candles that were flickering on the table beside him. He reached over to the closest one, and traced a finger up the side. A drop of wax was left on the finger, and he stared at it. 'Yami, you are a major pain, you know that,' he thought, wiping the drop of wax on the table. 'You were supposed to die that night. But no, you decided that you felt like living. That makes me mad.' Leader traced his finger up the side of the candle again. With his thumb and forefinger he extinguished the flame.

He then traced a finger up the side of the second candle. 'Now you've gone and made buddies with a human. What made you do that? You know better than anyone that that's not allowed. So what makes this human special?' Leader then used his thumb and forefinger to extinguish the light from the second candle. Now there was only one candle burning, the single flame desperately trying to light the room. Leader leaned in close, and the light flickered. A part of his hair fell out of the hood and shone brightly, a color seen only in the finest of jewelry.

'I wonder,' the man thought, running his finger up the side of the last candle. 'I wonder…what makes this human so special to you, Yami? Why would you give your magic to save him? Is it because…is it because you care for him? Is he your friend? Or…is it that you love him? Is that why you protected him? Do you love him? Could it be possible that the great King Yami, Master of the Shadows, loves a human? It's an interesting thought. And it would make things a lot easier for me. I'll kill your lover, then getting rid of you will be easy. I'll be King before you know it, Yami, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.' Leader then put out the last candle, and the room was covered in darkness.

--------------tbc-------------

(1) There will be different types of magic throughout this story, so I'll describe them with colors.

Red- offensive Blue- healing Green- protective Yellow- defensive Black- summoning Orange- transportation (more to come)

(2) Kyall Arie - pronounced key-all r-e. The words are said fast, so it sounds like 'keyall r e'

Star:sobs hysterically: I'm so sorry! I don't want Yugi to get hurt! I swear it!

Yami: You are evil! How dare you hurt him like that?

Star:cries more: B-but…it's for the story! I hate Ushio, I really do! I didn't mean to make it so bad :clings to Yugi: Please forgive me!

Yugi: Uh…ok?

Star: You don't mean that :runs away crying:


	6. Too soon to say

Star: OMG! I AM GETTING SO HORRIBLE AT UPDATING! PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND MY HORRIBLE LAZINESS! But at least it's done. And it's the longest chapter I've ever written. Almost 40 pages. But still, I'M SORRY!

Yami: You better be sorry. You are the worst updater in history.

Star: T.T I know. You don't have to rub it in.

Yami: Yes I do.

Yugi: Now, now. She finally finished, so don't be too hard on her.

Star: Yes, but for the longest time I lost interest in this story. But don't worry, I promise that I will update this and Deepest Dreams again soon. Chapter 28 of Deepest Dreams will be coming soon. I won't let it be two years for that story. I WON'T!

Disclaimer: I don't own, you can't sue. All you lawyers are big pieces of poo!

"Speech"

'thoughts'

"**Shadow Language**"

---------- Too soon to say...------------

There was a silence throughout the whole house. It was a peaceful silence; one that wrapped around you and held you comfortably in its arms, lulling you into a sense of tranquility and serenity. But if one listened closely, the sound of soft breathing could be heard. These soft, even breaths came from Yugi who was sleeping peacefully in his bed, the blankets wrapped around his small body. His right hand occasionally clenched and unclenched the edge of the pillow as he dreamed, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He then turned on the bed, the sheets rustling as they were moved.

The rustling was picked up by the other occupant of the house, Yami, who stilled as he listened for any other sounds. When none was heard he let out a relieved sigh, and went back to what he was doing, which was staring at the floor. The Shadow glanced at the clock by the bed, noticing the bright neon numbers said 5:49 AM, and he sighed again. Around 3:30 he had woken up, unable to sleep anymore because of all the thoughts rushing through his mind. He was now sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands as he tried to make sense of everything.

'Gods, why can't I forget about it? I mean…it didn't happen. We did not kiss, so why the hell am I so caught up in it? I didn't want to kiss him anyway, so there is no reason for me to be so obsessed with it. I didn't want to kiss him, I did NOT want to kiss him. I wasn't thinking clearly, that was all. It was because he asked me that stupid question. I shouldn't have answered him, then that wouldn't have happened. No way would I kiss him! GET OVER IT!'

Suddenly, an image floated into Yami's mind. He pictured the way Yugi looked just before they were going to kiss. The boy's shining amethyst eyes half closed, surprise and eagerness swirling through the orbs. His soft cheeks tinted a pale pink, as his lush, rosy colored lips parted slightly; soft, rapid pants coming through them. His voice low and husky, alluring and seductive to the King's ears. The shiver that raced down the boy's spine that had somehow traveled through Yami as well.

'Gah! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Do NOT think of him like that! How many times do I have to remind myself that he is a HUMAN! A HUMAN! What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I always have these thoughts of him? Why? Why can't I get him out of my mind? He's a human, but…I just…gods, why can't I stop thinking of him? Even when he's two feet in front of me I can't stop thinking of him, and it just gets worse when he leaves. Gods, why?' Yami groaned, and shook his head, trying to make sense of everything that he was feeling.

The clock beeped six, and Yami lifted his head to look at it. Yugi would be getting up in about little bit to get to school at seven. Yami blinked, deciding that now would be a good time to put his plan into action. The Shadow slowly got up from the bed, taking care not to bump his left wing against the bedside table. He silently tiptoed out of the room, and made his way down the hall to the guest bedroom. He peeked in, and when he saw that the human teen was still asleep, he crept over to the bed. The King picked up the small alarm clock and turned the alarm off. He looked at it for a second, then flipped it over and pulled out the batteries. Then he put it down again, and was about to walk out of the room when his gaze landed on Yugi.

'He's so…' Yami started, but stopped with a sigh, then turned his gaze away from the boy. 'I can't let these strange thoughts and emotions mess me up. I need to always remember that humans and Shadows can NOT form any kind of relationship, whether it's friendly, or… I'm the king, and I have to uphold these rules, which means that I cannot be involved with him in any kind of way. No matter what.'

Yami then started to walk away when a soft whimper stopped him. He turned around, and looked at the sleeping human. The teen's grip on the pillow started to tighten as a small frown flittered across his lips. Yami's crimson eyes softened as he watched him. He then knelt down beside the bed, his feathers ruffling as they touched the ground. Yugi whimpered again, lightly biting his bottom lip in an attempt to keep from crying out. The Shadow King's heart wrenched at the sight, and he slowly reached a hand out and gently caressed Yugi's cheek trying to comfort the boy. It seemed to work as Yugi calmed down, his grip on the pillow slackening as the smile returned to his lips. Yami felt a smile tug on his own lips as he continued to watch the other sleep, still tenderly stroking the boy's cheek. Yugi then nuzzled Yami's hand, and a contented coo passed his lips. Yami gasped as he felt a blush creep up his face, and he quickly stood up and rushed out of the room. He leaned against the wall next to the door, covering his face with one hand as he tried to get his heartbeat under control.

Yami then heard a soft moan, and he poked his head around the corner. He watched as Yugi shifted in the bed, his eyes fluttering as another moan escaped him, the smile growing bigger. The King felt the blush grow stronger, and he raced down the hall and into his room. 'Ok, ok, stop with the blushing now. Enough blushing...STOP IT!' Yami growled quietly, making a fist around the batteries. 'Why can't I stop blushing? Why? Why? All these questions, and it's all because of Yugi.' He took a deep breath, and opened his fist and looked at the two batteries in his hand. He winced as he traced the outline of the batteries in his skin.

'Well whatever it is, it won't stop me from keeping him from school today. There is no way I am letting him put himself in danger by going to that school today. No matter what he says or does, I can't let him go. I won't let him get hurt if I can prevent it, not again.' Yami then looked over at the clock in his room and saw it was ten past six, so he climbed into the bed, letting the batteries fall out of his hand. He closed his eyes, attempting to rest for a few more minutes before the argument he knew would come began.

It was half an hour later when he was woken up by a frantic yell, and a loud thud. Yami blinked when he heard Yugi running around, and covered his head with the blankets. 'Oh boy, he woke up. Here it comes.' And just as he said that, Yugi ran into the room, hair disheveled, and pajama shirt hanging off one shoulder.

"Yami!" yelled Yugi.

"Yes, Yugi?" Yami asked, trying his best to sound tired.

"Why did you take the batteries out of my alarm clock? I'm late for school! Yami, pay attention!"

"Yugi, what do you mean?" the Shadow King asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. He sensed Yugi come closer and braced himself for an attack. He realized that there was no way he would get out of this argument with out a few scratches, even if he was five thousand times stronger than the human. He would not make the mistake of underestimating Yugi's strength, for it would certainly lead to his downfall.

"You know damn well what I mean! Why did you take out the batteries?" Yugi yelled again, forcing the covers from Yami's grip. Yami blinked and looked up at the human, feeling fear race through him as he gazed at the hardened amethyst orbs in front of him. He smiled nervously, and attempted to pull the covers back, but found his only shield gone and in the hands of Yugi, who was angrily twisting it between his hands.

"Because I-" Yami started to answer when suddenly a pillow came down and smacked him in the face.

"That's not the right answer! Now tell me the right one, or I'll hit you harder this time!" Yugi said, raising the pillow threateningly over his head, his normally kind eyes shining with anger.

"I-" Yami started when Yugi raised the pillow even higher. "Ok, I'll tell! It's because I didn't want you to go to school today."

"And _why_ not?"

"Because I don't want to risk you getting hurt again."

Yugi's eyes softened when he heard the explanation, and he lowered the pillow, placing it on the bed. He searched Yami's eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie in those crimson orbs. When he found nothing but sincerity, he sighed and sat down on the bed. Yami slowly sat up, his right wing curling around his chest, the feathers brushing against Yugi's arm. Yugi looked down at the black feathers, and hesitantly reached a hand out to stroke them. "But…why?"

"I don't want anything to happen to you again. Not if I can stop it this time," the King replied, moving his wing softly against the human's hand.

"Yami…I understand why you did it, but I can't stay home from school. If I don't go to school then-"

"I know that, but I don't want you to get hurt. Not again, not when I can do something to protect you."

"But you can protect me. You gave me that bracelet."

"But that's not good enough! The bracelet can't prevent the danger; it can only stop you from being hurt."

"And it has done that. Yami, yesterday was…just…believe me, Yami, you have already protected me, and you have healed me."

"But I shouldn't have had to heal you! I'm sick of hearing about Ushio hurting you, and I'm pissed that I can't do anything to stop him!"

"Yami…" Yugi said quietly, reaching a hand out and placing it on the King's.

"No! You are not going to school today. I won't let you!"

"Yami, you can't-"

"No! I won't let him get you again, Yugi. I promised to protect you, and I will. No matter what," the Shadow said, taking Yugi's hand and looking deeply into his eyes. Yugi's breath fell short when he saw the care and concern flowing freely through his crimson eyes. It overwhelmed him that someone could care for him so much, and he no longer felt capable of arguing.

"…Ok, Yami," the human teen responded quietly after a bit. "I will stay home today, if you think it will be for the best."

"Thank you, Yugi," Yami responded with a smile on his lips, squeezing Yugi's hand once before letting them drop to the bed. Yugi looked down at their joined hands and squeezed Yami's hand once in return, then he smiled before standing up.

"Well, I guess I should go call the school and tell them I'm sick or something. However, Yami, next time don't take the batteries out of my clock. I think I had a heart attack."

"Well there was no other way to keep you from school. I had no other choice."

"You could have told me, you know," Yugi said, crossing his arms.

"Like you would have listened to me," the Shadow said, rolling his eyes.

"I would too have listened!" the teen replied, stomping his foot.

"You would not," Yami said smirking. "You humans are so hard headed and stubborn, you never listen to reason."

"Not all humans are the same, you know," Yugi responded with a glare at the King.

"No, but you fit that category very well," Yami said, snickering at the glare directed at him.

"You are so mean!" Yugi said with a pout. "Don't you like me?"

Yami's eyes bugged open when he heard that. 'L-l-like him? Oh, he did NOT just ask that!' "W-well…I m-mean…" Yami stuttered, looking anywhere but at the human, trying oh so hard to keep his blush from rising to his cheeks. "T-that depends on w-what you mean by like."

"What?" Yugi asked, raising and eyebrow in question.

"Well…if you mean like as in…I like…to tease you. Or as in I like to make fun of you, or as in I like to embarrass you, or as in I like to make you blush, or as in I-" Yami said with a smirk, when suddenly he found himself with a face full of pillow again. "…Ow!"

"You are such a jerk," he heard Yugi say. He then removed the pillow from his face, and saw the human stomp out of the room. The Shadow chuckled and shook his head, feeling the beginnings of a light headache start to form. 'Jeez, he hits hard. Good thing it was just a joke. Wait…if that hit was just a joke, how hard does he hit when he's really pissed? Crap, I'm in trouble!' The King then sighed, and lay back down with a smile and thought, 'At least he will be safe for three days. So now, I get to keep him with me for three days…ignore that last thought completely. But I can't keep him from school all the time. I'll just have to think of something later. But for now, I need to sleep off this headache.'

Yami closed his eyes and took a deep breath, about to get some more sleep when suddenly Yugi came to the door and coughed to get his attention. The Shadow looked up, and into annoyed amethyst eyes. "Yes?"

"Don't think I'm letting you get off so easily," the teen said.

"What?"

"If I have to get up at this time, then so do you."

"But…you can just go back to sleep!"

"Nope. I have to do chores, and because you basically ruined my morning with that little stunt, you have to help."

"But…but…"Yami stammered, not knowing what to say to Yugi's punishment. "But…I've NEVER done chores in my life! I'm the King!"

"Yea, well there's a first time for everything," was Yugi's reply as he smirked at the Shadow. "Be downstairs in half an hour. Hopefully you'll be able to use a broom with no problem." Then the teen walked away, leaving the Shadow King gaping.

'A…a broom? I've never…I…gods, he's so cruel. I'm going to be sore tonight,' was Yami's last thought, before he dropped his head back on the pillow with a groan. 'Just a few more minutes.'

"Yami, you better not be sleeping again!"

'Gods, why?'

--------------------------------------------

The sun was starting to rise in Kyall Arie, peeking over the towers on the castle and sending the rays of light everywhere, illuminating the castle grounds. The rays streamed into a window and started to brighten the inside of a bedroom. As the sun topped the turrets, the beams of light traveled through the room, till the whole room shone brightly.

The bedroom was very well furnished. The sun shone from four windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling, two on the left side of the wall and two on the right, and in between them were two open glass doors that lead out to a balcony. There were brown velvet curtains hanging from the windows, pulled back to let the sun shine in. To the left was a king sized bed, with black sheets and red pillows strewn all about. Across the room from the bed was a small white couch with black pillows. In front of the couch was a mahogany table that had a few empty beer bottles on it. To the left of the couch was a bookshelf, though the shelf was not covered in books. Instead, weapons of all sorts were displayed proudly, some dulled and stained from obvious use. To the right of the couch was a door that led to a bathroom and closet. Across from the glass doors was another door that led to a small living room.

As the rays came closer to the bed, the occupant grumbled and covered his head with the blankets. Finally, he realized that covering his head would not keep the brightness of the sun from reaching him. With an annoyed moan he sat up, his mane of silver hair messy and disheveled, falling in front of his chocolate brown eyes. He turned those angry-looking eyes towards a table on the right side of his bed, looking at the time on the clock. "Fuck! It's only 5:50! Good going, Bakura!" he reprimanded himself.

Bakura then decided that since he could no longer sleep, it would be best to get up. If he, Seto, and Marik started early then maybe they could find their missing Master sooner. That thought woke him up a little more, but not completely. As he swung his legs over the side of his bed, he stretched his arms up in the air. The muscles on his bare chest and arms could be seen as he flexed, showing that his entire body was very well toned. He then stood up, revealing that he was only wearing black boxers.

He then dressed himself in a dark, short sleeved blue shirt, tight black pants, and black boots with three silver clasps on the front of each. There were three black armbands on both of his upper arms, and he was wearing a silver chain necklace. There were also many black chain bracelets on both of his wrists. Looking himself over in the mirror, he frowned when he saw the state of his hair. He then vigorously shook his head, and surprisingly the silver locks settled into place. He smiled, his fangs glinting in the sunlight, and he said, "Much better."

Bakura then walked out of his room and started to walk down the hall, looking for his friends. He kept his head down, focusing on the dark red carpet under his feet. He then turned his head up, looking at the huge chandeliers that appeared every ten feet. Bakura then sighed as he felt boredom creep up on him, and hoped he would find someone soon, otherwise there would be hell breaking loose. A bored Bakura was a sure sign of danger. 'Damn, where is everyone?'

The Shadow General then turned the corner, and ran into Marik who had been speeding down the other hall. Bakura hit the ground with a thud, and through his silver bangs he glared at the other. "Oi! Watch where you are going, asshole!" he growled.

"I should say the same thing! Who walks down a hall staring at the ceiling?" Marik spat back. His glare then turned into an annoyed stare, as he helped the other up. Bakura noticed the fingers on his right hand were bandaged, and inspected it curiously.

"So what happened?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I went training late last night. It'll heal in another minute."

"Oh, is that why I saw you creeping about at 12:30?"

"Yea. But why were you up last night, huh? Going to spy on me?"

"Yea right. I've been stressed out with all this shit that's going on, so I went to look for someone that could help 'relieve' my stress," Bakura said with a smirk. "Had a fun time doing it too."

"I'll bet," Marik said, rolling his eyes. "But while you went for a fuck, I went to train. Who knows, if I train enough, maybe I can beat Yami one day."

"First you have to beat me. And I doubt you can," the silver haired Shadow replied.

"Wanna try it out? I'll kick your skinny ass to next week!" the other Shadow responded, the glint of a challenge sparkling in his lavender eyes.

"Before anyone gets their ass kicked," interrupted a deep voice from behind them, "we have to go back to the human city and continue to look for Yami."

"I know, Seto," Marik said, turning towards the older boy. "We can fight later. I'll win, anyway."

"You wish!" Bakura spat at him. "You're too fat, and you know that."

"It's muscle, and you know that," Marik said with a smirk. "You are just pissed you don't have as many as me."

"Can we please save the childish bickering for _after _we rescue the Master?" Seto barked. When the two others quieted, Seto let out a relieved sigh. "Finally, you two shut up. Now let's go," he said, turning away from the other two and walking down the hall. The other two followed, sending glares at each other. The trio walked down a flight of stairs and exited the castle, now in the garden. They didn't pay attention to the exotic flowers growing around them, or the large trees that offered cool shade in the sweltering sun. The sounds of the birds and crickets fell on deaf ears as they continued to walk down a small path.

"So what are we going to do today?" Bakura asked when they were far from the castle or any trees that would hit their wings.

"Same thing we've been doing for the past three weeks, moron. We have to look for Yami," Marik said, rolling his eyes.

"I know that! I meant, now that we have that human male's scent, what are we going to do? How will this change things?"

"We have to find that scent, and follow it," Seto replied as his black, leathery wings burst from his back. The other two Shadows released their wings as well, and the three took off into the air, heading towards Domino City. "We need to find out where it starts from, and we have to keep with it all day."

"And if we lose it?" Marik asked.

"Just make sure you don't. If necessary, we might have to communicate with him. Ask him how he got those powers and things like that. But under no circumstances are you allowed to harm him! Understand?"

"And if he doesn't talk? How the hell are we supposed to get information from him, if he has no reason to give it up? If he thought his life was in danger then he'd be much more willing to give up the info," commented Bakura. "Those stupid humans are always hard to deal with. I just want to get this over with, find Yami, and go back home where I'll never have to see another human again."

"I agree with Bakura," said the blonde haired Shadow as he flapped his wings harder, going higher in the air, then letting himself drop for a few feet before repeating the process. "If he thinks that we will hurt him, he will tell us more."

"True," mumbled Seto, pushing his chestnut hair out of his sapphire eyes. "But that is the LAST resort, understand. If Yami's magic is protecting him, then we do not want to appear hostile towards the boy. Or at least make it seem as if we aren't going to hurt him, because I, for one, do NOT feel like tending to wounds caused by Yami's magic."

"Fine, fine," Bakura said as the three landed in a clearing in the forest. The group tucked their wings away, then started walking towards the edge of trees that bordered the park. Making sure no one was around, they started to walk down the pathway till they reached the entrance to the park.

"Alright, so we split up again," Seto said, checking his watch. "and meet back here at noon. Is that good?" The other two Shadows agreed, and the three then went their separate ways, each hoping that today they would finally get their Master back.

--------------------------

'Late, late, late. Gah! I'm so late!' Jou thought as he ran around his apartment, trying to find all of his school supplies. As usual, Jounouchi had woken up late, and was now in a frantic rush to get to school before he got a detention. It wasn't as if he did it on purpose. He set his alarm clock every night, he didn't stay up late, and he didn't drink any coffee before he went to bed. Though he did get the caffeine from soda. But no matter what he did, he was always late in the mornings. It was because, even though he set the alarm clock, he would press the snooze button and go back to sleep.

"Oh no! I'm missing my shoe!" he cried out, frantically searching the whole apartment for the missing item. Luckily, his father was not home, so he could search as loudly as he wanted. As he was digging under the couch for it, the phone rang, startling him and making his head bang against the underside of the couch. 'Itai! Damnit, who the hell is calling at this time?' he thought as he stalked over towards the phone. "Moshi moshi," he said into the speaker.

"Ohayo, Jou," came Yugi's voice from the receiver.

"Yugi? Why are you calling so early? Is something wrong? Did something happen to you? Do you need me to call 911?" Jou asked rapidly.

"No, no, Jou," Yugi said with a chuckle. "I'm just calling to tell you that I don't feel so good today, and I won't be coming to school."

"Oh. What is it? Are you sick? Do you want me to come over?"

"It's just my stomach, and no you don't have to come over," Yugi said quickly.

"Are you sure? I can spend the whole day there and-"

"NO! I-I mean…no it's ok, but thanks anyway. I'll be fine. Could you go to the office and tell them that I'll be out for the day?"

"Sure thing, but are you sure you don't want me to come over to check up on you? Maybe after school."

"Jou, don't worry about me. It's just my stomach, but now I might be getting a headache from all your questions," Yugi said with a laugh.

"All right, Yug'. If you're sure you don't want me to come over. I'll call when school finishes, ok."

"Ok. Thanks, Jou. Bye."

"Bye." Jou then hung up the phone. 'Hmm, I hope everything is alright with him. But…he wouldn't lie to me if it was worse…what am I saying? Of course he would! But…if he was badly hurt, he wouldn't have called. So for now, I'll believe him.' He then looked at the clock on the wall, and yelled. "Damnit! Now I'll get a detention for sure! And I still haven't found my shoe!" Usually they were in front of the door, where the shoes were placed when entering a house, but today for some reason they were missing.

'Crap…crap…crap, crap, crap, damnit, damnit!' Jou thought as he raced around the place, when suddenly he spotted his gym bag resting on a chair. He leapt towards the bag and unzipped it, revealing his missing shoes. "I knew they were there the whole time," he said, before placing them on and rushing from the house. "Shit, I'm so late! There is no way I will be excused from this one." Jou went down the stairs two at a time, hoping that by skipping steps, and in turn endangering his neck, he would somehow make it on time. But someone didn't want to get him there on time, as he was stopped at a crosswalk.

"Damnit!" he yelled out loud, causing many other pedestrians to stare at him strangely and back away. "I'm never going to get to school on time now. I might as well stop trying so hard." The blonde haired teen sighed, and rubbed his eyes. 'Wait…since when have I ever wanted to get to school on time? But today…I feel like something really important will happen at school. I wonder…what could it be?'

He didn't have anymore time to ponder the thought as the light turned green. Without a second thought he rushed across the street, and towards the school building that was looming in front of him. "Yes! Just three more blocks and I'll be there!" But when he glanced down at his watch he let out a shocked cry. 'No! Six minutes before the bell rings. Nonononono! I won't make it!'

Finally he turned the corner and rushed towards the school gates, running along side the other students. But something…some_one_…caught his eye. There, standing to the side of the gates, and looking slightly uncomfortable as he watched the other people pass by, was a young teenage boy. 'Strange…I wonder what he's doing here.' Jou slowed down as he took in the other boy. 'He looks like a teenager. Maybe he's new here.'

Jou's honey eyes roamed across the features of the other. The boy must have been about seventeen, seventeen and a half at the most. He had light chestnut hair that stopped right before his eyes as bangs. The teen had the bluest eyes the blonde had ever seen. He couldn't tell if they were dark blue or light blue, as the colors seemed to swirl around, the hues changing constantly. His skin was pale and looked soft, though through his shirt the slight outline of muscles could be seen. He was wearing a red button up shirt, a black jacket and black pants. Sunglasses were resting on his head, and he was toying with a cell phone in his left hand. His right was resting delicately on his right hip, and he was leaning against the fence.

Jou continued to stare at the strange boy, and a quick glance around told him he wasn't the only one looking. Many people had stopped walking to stare at the stranger. He could hear many excited whispers and giggles coming from groups of girls all around him. 'Figures they'd go all crazy over someone like that.' Faintly he could hear parts of what they said, but it was all the same. "He's so hot! I want to date him! Does he have a girlfriend? He looks like a movie star!" Jounouchi rolled his eyes as he listened, but he couldn't help but agree with them. There was something about that boy that seemed…Jou didn't know how to describe it, but it was captivating.

Shaking his head to focus himself, he looked around at the groups of people again. They were all looking at the stranger, but no one seemed to dare to walk over to him. 'I wonder why. He doesn't look dangerous. He's probably a new student or something.' Waiting a few more seconds to see if anyone would do anything other than talk, Jou decided to walk over and confront the teen. 'Someone's gotta do it.'

Slowly he came closer to the other, not sure why he felt so wary about going to close. It was almost as if there was something trying to hold him back, trying to keep him away from the brunette. 'Snap out of it, Jou. He's just a teenager like everyone else. You've never been shy around anyone, so why start now?' Taking a deep mental breath, he took the last step towards the boy.

"Excuse me, do ya need some help?"

-----------------------

Seto sighed as he glanced upwards to the sky. It was ten to seven, and the streets were starting to become crowded as people headed to work or school. He looked around at the people going by, wondering if they might have a connection to his master or the boy who looked like him. Though he was picking up many scents, plenty of them very sickening, he could find no trace of that boy.

'Oh great,' he thought as he sighed, 'this is going to be the same as yesterday. When are we going to find him? Yami, where the hell are you?' The brunette shook his head, and focused on avoiding bumping into the crowd. It was very early, and Seto was not the nicest person in the

morning. As it were, having so many humans around him, and still not finding a single trace of Yami's scent, his patience was wearing slightly thin.

'If I don't find a trace of Yami soon, I think I'm going to start screaming.' Seto stopped and leaned against a brick wall of a building. He covered his eyes with his hand, and tilted his head up, letting out another sigh. 'I don't know what we are going to do if we don't find Yami. The people need their king, and there is no heir to the throne. We can't keep hoping we will find him; we need to start making plans on who will be the next king. Though that is the last thing I want to think about. I will search as long as I can for Yami. I won't give up yet.'

With new determination, Seto got off the wall and started to wander some more. He knew that Yami was somewhere near the park, so that narrowed his search a bit. It would be so much easier if he could fly, but as that was impossible, he needed to rely on his sense of smell even more. The Shadow closed his eyes, and tried to sort out the smells, hoping he would find that boy, but he had no luck. With a frustrated groan, he opened his eyes and stalked off.

'What is with this damn city? No matter how hard I try to find him, I get nothing. NOTHING! I am seriously starting to get pissed off with this human city.' Seto took many deeps breaths to calm himself down, when suddenly a thought hit him. 'I remember…yesterday I picked up that human's scent near that big school. I wonder if maybe I can get a lead on him there. After all, there are many people who go there everyday, so someone should recognize him. If anything, they'll recognize his hair.'

Seto took off in a run, ignoring the other pedestrians and the stop lights. He finally had a lead, and he would not hesitate to search it. Hopefully he could find that boy. Once he knew where the boy was, he and the other two could continue their search. 'It's about time we got a break in this. I knew that we'd find Yami. Now if only these people would just move out of my way!'

He continued to run through the crowd, dodging through the people left and right as he tried to remember where the school was located. He didn't give a second thought to the people that he bumped into, nor did he care that he had actually touched them. His thoughts were focused on finding the missing King as fast as he could. Seto knocked into a middle aged man, who shouted angrily after him, "Watch where you're going! You kids are too damn fast!"

'No, _you_ are just too damn slow,' Seto thought mentally, before concentrating on his task once again. He soon picked up the scents of many young humans, and smiled. He was getting closer. Soon he turned a corner and saw the school building looming ahead of him. He stopped to regain his breath while looking around at the students. The boys were all wearing a dark blue jacket and dark blue pants, while the girls wore a pink jacket and a blue skirt with a yellow tie. 'Wow, these humans have absolutely no fashion sense. But that's not why I'm here.' The Shadow looked around, but couldn't pick up any scent of the human boy, nor did he find any hairstyles that matched the King's.

'Damn, I hope I didn't miss him.' Seto refused, absolutely REFUSED to step foot inside the building where he would be trapped by the huge mass of humans. He would stay outside where it was safe, and where he could make a quick getaway if he had to. Seto suddenly felt something change in his surroundings, and turned around. He blinked in surprise when he saw that there were groups of people just standing there and watching him. Some groups of girls were giggling and whispering to themselves, and Seto did NOT want to know what they were saying. 'Teenage girls are always the same, whether they are human or Shadow.'

Feeling slightly unnerved by all the attention he was attracting, the Shadow decided to go stand somewhere other than the middle of the parking lot. He walked over to one of the gates and leaned against it, pushing his sunglasses up. Seto stood there and watched the people walk by, trying to ignore the looks he was getting. He was looking for that young boy, but as the minutes went by, he was starting to become more aggravated. 'Damn humans and their damn sense of not being there when they are damn well needed.'

Just as that thought passed through his head, a voice reached his ears. Seto blinked and looked up, surprised that someone had come near him. When he looked up he was met with two large, honey colored orbs. As he looked into those eyes, he noticed how the sunlight seemed to make them glow. One thought came into his mind then. 'Shiny.' Seto blinked, and shook his head lightly to get the thoughts out. 'Where the hell did that come from.'

"Um…excuse me…" came the voice again, and Seto looked at the human once more. It was a male with shaggy blonde hair, and those honey colored eyes. He had a faint tan dusting over his skin, and was almost as tall as Seto himself. He was thin but looked strong, and he had a sort of tough attitude around him. But at the same time he seemed gentle and eager to please. 'Like a dog,' Seto thought.

"Yes?" Seto asked him, discreetly pressing farther into the gate, trying to avoid any contact with the teen.

"Do ya need some help? Ya seem kinda uneasy here."

'That's an understatement.' "No, I'm fine. I'm just…looking for someone."

"Who?" the human asked, cocking his head slightly to the side. Something inside Seto gave a sudden jerk, and his breath stopped short. He had no idea what was going on, nor why he felt so strange. 'Did this human do something to me? No…that's impossible…but, there is something about him…what has he done to me?'

"Uh…"Seto started to say, too busy trying to figure out the event that had just occurred.

"If ya tell me what dey look like, I'll go get 'em for ya."

"Well…it's a surprise. But…I think I missed them," the Shadow said, backing away from the human. "I should be going now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Goodbye," Seto said, quickly walking away from the human teen and the school. The purpose of him being there completely forgotten as he rushed to get away. 'Note to self, stay away from the school. At least whenever that boy is around.'

------------------------

After calling Jou, Yugi leaned against the couch and gave a sigh, rubbing his temples slightly. He was still slightly annoyed at Yami. After all, the Shadow had given him a heart attack when he took out the batteries on the clock. He didn't have to go that far; he could have just talked to him. But according to the King, all humans were stubborn. 'He calls me stubborn when he's the picture of stubbornness. And where is he? He should be down here now!'

"Yami! Yami, get down here now!"

A groan was heard followed by a thud, and Yugi rolled his eyes. 'The moron probably fell out of the bed. He sure is a pathetic king.' He looked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and smirked when he saw the other teen rubbing his head. "You deserve it," he said, ignoring the glare he was given. "Now you have to help me do my chores, so stop being so lazy."

"But, Yugi," the Shadow said, "I've never done chores in my life! I wouldn't know what to do."

"And today you are going to learn," the human replied.

"Ugh! You are cruel!" Yami responded, earning another smirk from the smaller human. "Besides, don't you get dirty when you do work?"

"Well duh!" 'But he does bring up a good point. He will get dirty. And since he's not wearing a shirt…has he always been that buff? Ok, ok, ok! Getting off topic now. But I gotta admit, he looks VERY good with no shirt…in fact…he looks good with nothing on…of course, he was still wearing his boxers when-WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING! Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods! I can't believe I'm thinking about him like that! I am not thinking about him in boxers…I am not picturing him naked…I am not picturing him naked…OH MY GODS, I'M PICTURING HIM NAKED!'

"Yugi?" the King asked, staring at the teen and watching the blush on his cheeks get redder and redder. "Yugi, are you ok?" he asked, putting a hand on the human's shoulder.

Yugi jumped at the contact and glanced over, trying to hide his blush. "I-I'm fine. Um…you were…I should…get you something to wear. So you don't…get as dirty." Yugi then rushed upstairs as fast as he could, seriously hoping that the blush on his face would go away quickly. 'Jeez, what is wrong with me? I mean, I know I like Yami, but that is going way to far! Ok, just take a deep breath and go back downstairs, and pretend like this never happened.' Yugi took a few deep breaths, then got off the wall he was leaning on. He searched around his closet for something that the other could wear, and finally found a shirt. It was a white t-shirt with three yellow stripes going diagonally down the chest from the left shoulder, and the end of the sleeves were yellow as well. It was slightly too big for him, but it would probably fit Yami fine.

The teen then took another deep breath, preparing himself, and walked back downstairs. "Here," he said as he approached the Shadow, looking at the floor. "This should fit you."

Yami took the shirt from the human, and looked at it. It looked big enough, and he liked the style. "Thanks," he said as he put it on. It fit him tightly, the shirt becoming like a second skin. It was perfect on him, and when Yugi looked up he thought the same. "So…are you going to show me how to…do chores now?"

Shaking his head lightly, Yugi snapped himself out of his daze. "Huh? Oh yea! Chores…hmm…since you've never done any…I'll start you off with something easy." The teen walked into the kitchen where a broom was leaning against the table. "You can sweep the floors," he said, handing the broom to the king.

"Ok, that's fine but…how do you hold this thing?" Yami asked, trying to hold it in a way that felt right.

"You put both hands on it," was Yugi's answer, so Yami did that but it still seemed weird. "You are hopeless!" The two sighed unanimously at the comment, both silently agreeing. Yami tried to get it right again, but finally he got fed up. "Yami, how the hell can you rule an entire race when you can't even hold a broom?"

"Well, holding brooms isn't really high on the list of 'things-you-need-to-know-to-be-a-good-king'." Yami responded, throwing the broom down in anger and crossing his arms. "I officially have a hate for brooms!"

Yugi rolled his eyes and picked it up, shoving it back into the Shadow's hands. "Just put your right hand near the top, and the left one in the middle."

"Like this?"

"Yes."

"But it feels weird."

"I know, but that's how it's done. And just move it back and forth to sweep."

"This is way too easy."

"Come on! You just threw a tantrum because you couldn't even hold it!"

"I do not have tantrums," Yami said with a small glare.

"Suuure you don't. And the whole 'throwing the broom down' thing was not a sign of your anger," Yugi replied with a smile. "You are hopeless when it comes to the small things."

"I was the prince. You don't really expect the prince to do manual labor, do you? That's what servants are for."

"Lazy, useless, and spoiled. What a great combination," the amethyst eyes teen said, shaking his head as he walked out.

"I am not-"

"Don't wanna hear it! Now start sweeping, and try not to break anything." Yugi heard the Shadow mumble curses and he smiled. "For a king, he sure is a pushover."

"I heard that!"

"And I meant it too!"

For two hours the two worked in silence…well…almost silence if you didn't count Yami's constant string of obscenities at cleaning products. At one time, Yami had gotten tired of the broom, and asked to try something else. Knowing immediately that the vacuum cleaner would end up in a burning wreck if Yami tried it, Yugi told Yami to clean the tables. Unfortunately, he didn't remember that the Shadow King had an advanced sense of smell, so it was a huge shock for him to see the other teen fall to the ground holding his nose and yelling about the evils of lemon and orange scents.

"Ok," Yugi said after Yami had gotten some fresh air, "so using any spray is out." Yugi had hidden the wood cleaners after that, not wanting a repeat of the events. "What else can you do?"

"Do I still have to help?" Yami asked as he held his head, feeling a headache start to build up. "Wasn't suffocating me with those horrible sprays enough?"

"Yes, you still have to help. We're almost finished, so you can relax after."

"What is left?"

"I have to take some empty boxes from the basement to the store room, then I need to vacuum. You can bring the vacuum to the living room, while I go down and get the boxes. I'm sure even someone like _you_ can carry a simple vacuum cleaner."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It. Means. You. Are. A. Loser."

"Am not!"

"Loser."

"Yugi..."

"Loooser."

"Yugi! Enough with the name calling!" Yami yelled, glaring at the human and pouting.

"Ok, ok…loser," Yugi responded with a laugh. Yami growled in annoyance, and Yugi just smiled back. "So come on. Bring the vacuum from the hall closet in here, then you can take a break, ok."

Yami nodded, then went to the hall closet to bring it out. Being the king, he had never actually touched a vacuum cleaner before, so he was curious as to what it was like to use one. But when he asked Yugi if he could try it, the human teen told him flat out 'no'. "But why not?" Yami asked, crossing his arms and pouting because he didn't get what he wanted. It was one of the few times in his life that he was refused something, so dealing with rejection was new to him.

"Because I don't feel like buying a new one," replied Yugi as he cleaned out the bag. "I don't trust you with this machine."

"But why not?"

"Because you can't even hold a broom. There is no way I'm letting you use something that involves electricity."

"Gah! You are so mean!"

"And I love it," Yugi said with a big smile, replacing the bag in the machine and plugging it in. "And since I don't trust you in here while I'm doing this, can you bring the boxes from the basement? Just put them by the door that leads to the shop." The Shadow sighed, but did as he was told. Another thing he wasn't used to was being ordered around. The only people to have ever given him orders were his parents and his tutors. For a commoner, a human on top, to be bossing him around like this was a major change from his normal lifestyle. Of course, living in a human's house and doing chores would also be considered a change. His life was making a big 180 at this point, but Yami was unsure if he completely disliked these new developments.

So as Yugi vacuumed the whole house, Yami brought up big, empty, cardboard boxes from the basement. There were a lot of them, and more than half the basement floor covered in them. One wrong move and the teen would be buried under a sea of cardboard. "Gods, Yugi. How many do you have?"

"Well, we get a lot of shipments of games and cards. I should have thrown them out a long time ago, except I was too lazy," the teen responded with a shrug. "But now that you are here, it's finally getting done."

"So I'm your servant boy now?"

"Yep."

'He says that with a smile!' "Are you almost done? I could use some help with these things."

"What? You can't bring them up yourself?" Yugi asked in a mocking tone.

"I'd need an army to bring all of these boxes up! Why do I get stuck with these stupid jobs?"

"Jeez, Yami. Pms-ing much?" the human said with a chuckle, walking past the overly annoyed Shadow, and down to the basement. "But you're right. This is a lot. Maybe I should have been throwing out the boxes sooner."

"You think!"

The younger teen just rolled his eyes, and picked up a few boxes, the Shadow copying his movements, and silently the two began to carry out the boxes. The work was going faster with the two of them helping, though it was still more than an hour before they were almost done. "Gods! Next time, I'm just throwing these out as soon as they are empty," Yugi said between pants while he leant against the wall next to the basement door.

"Ha! Now you know how I felt," The King said with a victorious smile.

"Silence! Let's just finish bringing up the last few boxes," the amethyst eyed teen said with a groan as he pushed himself off the wall, and back down the stairs. He tried not to smack the other when he heard chuckles behind him, not wanting to sink to the other's level. He kicked the box closest to him before picking it and two others up. He followed Yami back up the stairs, silently cheering over the fact that their work was FINALLY finished. 'Yes! No more boxes of doom!'

Unfortunately, in his elation he didn't notice the cord from the vacuum cleaner in his path, and he tripped over it. The boxes flew out of his hands as he tried to steady himself, though he was unsuccessful. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain that would come when he hit the ground. But instead of lying on a hard floor, he found himself lying on top of another body. 'What…Yami must have caught me again.'

When he felt the other move under him, he cracked open his eyes. He saw that he was indeed lying on top of the Shadow King, and that Yami's back was resting on the back of the couch. Yami's left arm was wrapped loosely around his waist, and his head was resting on the king's stomach. Their legs were all tangled up. Yugi saw Yami's right arm go up to his head, and a moan followed soon after. 'He must have hit his head when he caught me."

"Yugi, are you ok?" the crimson eyed youth asked, still rubbing the back of his head. He had hit it hard against the back of the couch when they fell. No matter what the cushions felt like, the back of the couch was as hard as a rock. But as long as Yugi was ok, he didn't mind. Though the human really should pay more attention to his surroundings. Yami had predicted what would happen, so he was ready to catch the other. Though he didn't have time to think about the consequences of his actions, namely a headache that just kept getting stronger and stronger.

"I'm fine," Yugi responded, pushing himself up with his arms, but keeping his head down. He was still getting his bearings after the fall, and sudden movements were making his vision spin. "Thanks for catching me. But what about you?"

"I'm fine," came the reply.

"Are you sure? Because you-" Yugi started to say, looking up at the other. But suddenly he found himself in a lip lock with the other teen, and both stopped moving. It seemed that they both had ignored the position they were in, and it turned out that they were closer than they had thought. And so when Yugi had lifted his head, his lips were in the right spot to connect with the other teen's. It was actually quite funny when one thought about it.

Though the two boys didn't think it was funny at all. In fact, their brains had immediately shut down when the lips touched. So the two boys were left laying on the floor in that position, lips still connected. They lay there just staring into each other's shocked and surprised eyes.

--------------------------------------

Ryou let out a small yawn as he and Honda walked to the Sakura tree to have their lunch. It was such a boring day, and all his classes had been pointless. What he really wanted to do was skip his last class and go visit Yugi, as he knew the others wanted as well. But he knew Yugi could take care of himself. The boy had learnt to be independent a while ago, what with his grandfather always leaving him for excavations. Ryou and the others were the same, which was one big factor in their friendship.

As they approached the tree, he could hear parts of an argument between Malik and Jou. He heard Honda sigh beside him, and copied the act. Though arguments between Malik and Jou were not as destructive as they were when it was Jou and Honda fighting, Malik and Jou could get pretty loud if they wanted to. "What are they fighting about now?" Ryou said out loud.

"Probably something stupid, like who gets the bigger cookie," Honda replied.

"I wouldn't put it past them," the silver haired boy replied back. The two of them climbed the mini hill that lead to the tree where they found their two other friends in the midst of a food fight as they yelled at each other. Ryou and Honda stood there watching the food fly for a few minutes, before Honda got fed up and yelled at them to stop.

The two others paused in their fighting and looked over. With a squeal, a very messy Malik tackled Ryou into a hug, sending the two plummeting to the ground. "Ryou!" the Egyptian blonde cried out as he nuzzled his cheek into the other's. "You're here! I was bored, and pelting Jou with food was entertaining to a point."

"Why ya little-" Jou started to say, about to go over and start another fight with Malik, but Honda held him back.

"Let it go, Jou. Fighting on school grounds is not allowed, and if anyone were to see you throwing food, you would get detention for a month with janitorial duty. And you DON'T want to go around cleaning the bathrooms."

At the mention of bathrooms, Jou calmed down and sat down on the ground, leaning against the tree bark. "Well, Malik started it," he said as he took a sip of his drink.

"I did not! I just asked you a question then you started yelling!" Malik retorted, finally getting off of Ryou who greedily gasped in air. "Oops. Did I hug you too hard?"

"Ya think! Gods, I don't know how Yugi stands it everyday," Ryou yelled back, rubbing his very red cheek. "So what did you ask Jou?"

"I asked him if he was going to go to Yugi's after school, and he said he didn't know."

"Well, Yug' told me not ta come, and I don' wanna make it seem as if I don' trust him ta take care of himself."

"And what if he does need help? You are just going to leave him there?"

"Well, sorry! I told ya I'd call him after school, and dat's what I'll do!"

"Oh sure! A telephone call is going to be a lot of help! And what if he's too sick to answer the phone? Or maybe something has happened and he's unconscious, or maybe something even worse happened?"

"Or maybe he just has a stomach ache," said Honda, who received a look from Malik.

"Jeez, Honda. You seriously don't believe he has a stomach ache, do you?"

"Well, maybe he does. Maybe we are just putting things out of proportion," Honda replied.

"Since when does Yugi stay home because of a stomach ache? And why wouldn't he want any of us to come over?" Malik asked, getting slightly annoyed that the others seemed so calm.

"Malik has a point," Ryou said quietly. "Yugi has come to school with colds before, so I don't see why a stomach ache should keep him home. And he has medicine as well, so it shouldn't be that big of a problem. And telling us to stay away is also suspicious."

"Finally someone agrees with me!" said Malik, sending an appreciative smile to the young British teen. "This isn't like Yugi, and you all know it."

"But I'm sure he's fine. Yug' would neva stay home from school just because he didn't wanna go. And he'd neva skip school ta do something else, so he must have stayed home for anotha reason," said Jou, trying to convince himself that Yugi was fine. He didn't want to seem untrusting, but Yugi had lied about his safety before. Malik could have been right. Yugi might be in trouble and they wouldn't know.

"Come on, guys," Honda said, trying to lighten the tense mood that had seemed to settle over the group, "I'm sure Yugi is fine. We are just being paranoid. I mean…if it was bad, Yugi wouldn't have called Jou."

"But he wouldn't tell me anything else," Jou replied, running his fingers through his blonde locks. "And he really didn't want me ta come ova. Gah! Now I'm starting ta get freaked! Damnit! And if he really was hurt, he wouldn't tell me. Sometimes I hate that noble, self sacrificing attitude of his."

"Yea, but he wouldn't be Yugi without it," Ryou said with a small smile, covering his eyes from the sun. "But…you guys did notice that Ushio and his gang aren't here," he added, the smile dropping as a frown took it's place.

"Ra, Ryou, don't even start on that!" Malik said as he made a fist with his right hand around one of the straps of his school bag. "I don't want to think of that ass or his gang. I'm worried enough that Yugi might be hiding something, but if I add Ushio into it, I'm just going to skip my last class and go to Yugi's house right now."

"But didn't you guys hear?" asked Honda, who received curious looks from the other three. "Ushio and his entire gang are in the hospital."

"What!" asked Jou as he sat up straight.

"Yea, seems that they are unconscious. Some police officer found them in an alley, and they were all out cold. They'll be in there for a while."

"Ha! They deserved it!" Malik cheered. "I wish I could go thank the guy who did it."

"But what happened?" Jou asked, eager to find out what had happened to the people he hated most. He was more than happy to hear that Ushio had been hurt. In his opinion, Ushio deserved so much more.

"No one knows. None of them had any bruises or cuts. They all seemed perfectly fine, except that they wouldn't wake up. And they couldn't find a trace of anyone else. It was as if they just collapsed."

"I can't believe it," Ryou commented. "What would make them collapse?"

"Who cares!" cried Malik. "They'll be out of the picture for a while, and they deserve it! And now, Yugi won't be hurt anymore."

"It's about time dat bastard got a taste of his own medicine. Dat'd teach 'im ta mess wit' Yug'," added Jou. The other three nodded in agreement, each happy that their friend would be safe for a while. But none knew how long it would last, so they had to make sure they kept tabs on Ushio's condition. The second they heard he was awake, they'd go on high alert.

The group heard the bell ring in the distance, and silently picked up their trash. They didn't know what to do concerning Yugi's absence from school. They didn't want to seem as if they didn't trust the other boy, but they had every right to be worried. They decided that Jou would call after school, and then decide if they would go visit him. Content with their plan, they said goodbye to each other, and walked to their last class.

---------------------

Time seemed to stop in the Mouto residence as Yami and Yugi lay there on the ground, lips still connected, minds frozen in shock. The sounds from the clock on the wall seemed incredibly loud, each tick booming in their ears. It seemed as if their bodies had become stone, neither being able to move even a muscle. All they could do was lie there and stare at each other as they got over the surprise. But 'getting over it' seemed to take a loooooooong time.

Suddenly, the clock on the wall chimed twelve, jerking the two out of the stupor they were in. They jumped away and turned their backs to the other, refusing to look at the other teen. Both of their faces were completely red with embarrassment, and all they could think was, 'oh my god, we kissed!'

Yugi covered his face with both his hands as he tried to steady his breathing, which at this point was shallow breaths. His body was shaking slightly from shock, and he couldn't seem to stop it. 'Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods!' he thought, 'I can't believe that happened. That wasn't supposed to happen EVER! Oh gods, what if he thinks I did it on purpose? He's going to hate me forever! Not to mention that was my first kiss!' The teen closed his eyes, and groaned mentally. He was worried that he ruined their friendship, even though it was an accident. 'Gods, I'm so stupid! How could I trip? Gods, he must hate me now.'

Yami, though, was too busy getting over his own shock to think of hating the other. 'What the fuck was that! That was not supposed to happen! Damnit, I can't believe we kissed. Damnit, damnit, damnit! I can't stop thinking about it. No, no, no, no! I can't think of him that way! It's not allowed, it's against the law, I can't think of him like that! Damnit, stop making things so hard!' The King took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair when he remembered something. 'Oh shit! That was his first kiss, wasn't it? Oh man, I can't believe I stole his first kiss. He's probably freaked out.'

Taking another deep breath, Yami turned around slowly. He frowned when he saw the human teen sitting on the ground, his face buried in his hands and his body shaking lightly. He suddenly felt guilt and regret flow through him. It was an accident that they kissed, but he couldn't change the fact that he had taken the boy's first kiss away from him. Biting his lip, the Shadow slowly reached out towards the other, his hand stopping a few inches from the other's shoulder. He could feel shock, disbelief, and…fear radiating off of the human, and he felt even worse than before. Yami sighed quietly, then said, "Yugi?"

Yugi stiffened when he heard his name called. He didn't want to answer the other. He didn't want to do anything but crawl into a hole and hide there for the rest of his life. Yugi was so worried that the other would start yelling at him, or that Yami would say their friendship was over. But he was more worried if the other just blew it off. It might not have meant anything to the King, but to him it was his first kiss. And to have it with Yami just blew his mind. Some part of him was happy, but that happiness was drowned out by worry and fear. He wouldn't be able to stand it if he lost everything just because he tripped.

"Yugi?" Yami called out again when the human didn't answer. He knew the other heard him from the way he had suddenly become rigid. The Shadow King let out a sigh, realizing that things would become very difficult very soon if he didn't try to fix it now. With determination, he reached out and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, feeling small tremors flow through the body at his touch. Yami frowned when he felt them, worried that the human was afraid to be near him now. Pushing those thoughts away, he concentrated on getting the other to calm down. "Yugi, are you ok?" he asked softly.

For a while, the teen was silent. Then very quietly, and without removing his hands, he said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"For tripping and…doing…that."

"Yugi, it's ok," the crimson eyed teen said, trying to reassure the other boy that everything was ok.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," Yugi said again. "It was a accident, I swear!"

"I know that. You don't have to apologize for it."

"But…I'm still sorry." Yugi took a deep breath then stood up, keeping his face turned away from Yami. "I…I'm going to my room," he said quietly then ran up the stairs, trying to get away from the Shadow as quickly as possible. He just couldn't be near the other at the moment. His entire world had been turned upside down with that one kiss, and now he was confused and slightly scared. He didn't know what to do or say, but he couldn't face Yami. He didn't want to be told it didn't mean anything. Yugi knew it was just an accident, but he still treasured the kiss, and he didn't want anyone to tell him it was worthless. Because for him it was one of the best things in the world. He wanted more, and more, and more, but knew that all his wishing and dreaming was in vain. He found happiness in those brief seconds only to have it taken away. Life could be so cruel sometimes.

-------------

Yami sat there on the ground staring at the top of the stairs, hoping that the younger human would come back down and that things would go back to the way they were a few hours ago. With the two of them teasing each other and having fun. But now things were a mess, and Yami didn't know when things would get back to normal. If they ever did. He wouldn't be too surprised if Yugi avoided him for a while. He just hoped that they would stay friends through it all. He was not about to let his new friendship, his first friendship with a human, break apart just because of some accident.

The King softly touched his lips, feeling a shiver race down his spine. He would be lying if he said that kiss didn't mean anything to him. After all his denial and ranting earlier that morning, he found that everything he had thought had been thrown out the window. That simple, accidental kiss left such a huge mark on him. It was all he could think of now. Those soft, rosy lips against his, that sweet taste of sugar that he had just caught a hint of, the warmth and life radiating off of them. It was far too good to be true. It was like he had been given a glimpse of paradise, and now he wanted more. He wanted to have that paradise again, all to himself. It was like a sweet, sweet drug to him; consuming and addicting, making him want so much more, even though he knew it was against all the Shadow's laws. But he didn't give a damn about them, because he never before knew how sweet a kiss could truly be.

Around two he heard a door quietly open. He looked up from where he was lying on the ground to see Yugi coming down the stairs, head bent down to the ground to avoid eye contact. The Shadow King watched in silence as the human walked past him into the kitchen. Yami felt disappointment and slight sadness wash over him. He really didn't want Yugi to avoid him, but there was nothing he could think of that would make things better.

"Yami?" Yugi called softly from the kitchen after a while.

"Yes, Yugi?" he answered.

"I'm going out to get groceries. I'll try to come back soon," the amethyst eyed boy said, walking out of the kitchen and towards the door, still not looking at the King.

"Oh…ok. Be careful," was all Yami could say. He had really hoped they could talk, because putting it off would make things worse.

"…See ya."

"Bye," the Shadow said, watching the human leave. He then sighed and covered his face with his hands. Things were getting complicated.

-----------------------------

Yugi sighed as he walked down the street. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get his mind off of the recent events. He had never once thought that they would actually do…_that_. He had dreamed about it, true. But Yugi wasn't one to believe in 'dreams come true'. But that was…it felt like a dream, because he was positive that in real life it would never happen. But the dream shattered around him like glass, the splinters cutting into his heart, bringing him a pain and sorrow he had never felt. To just pretend that it didn't matter to him was tormenting him, and knowing it didn't mean a thing to Yami was even worse.

The boy sighed again and shook his head. It was too hard to think about it, but not thinking about it was even more difficult. But he'd have to get over it somehow. No matter how painful it would be, he'd try to ignore it. At least for now. When he was back home he could dwell on the thought longer, but as long as he was in public he had to pretend that nothing was wrong. Yugi didn't want the people to think he was crazy or something. He shook his head harder, blonde bangs tapping his face lightly.

He stopped in front of a supermarket, looking up at the sign for a minute before walking in. He grabbed a cart and started loading it with things. Most of the stuff he grabbed were things they didn't really need, but he wasn't in a mood to care. He had the money, and jii-chan would never find out. As he walked into the snack aisle he spotted the Oreos. Yugi stopped in front of them and smiled softly. For all his complaining of human food, the Shadow King just couldn't get enough of those cookies. It was like an obsession for the other, which Yugi found very funny.

'Maybe…maybe if I bring some, I can use it as a sort of…peace offering. Hopefully with this we can try to get back to normalcy.' Yugi knew it was a sad attempt at trying to forget, but he needed to try something before he snapped. Biting his lip to try from letting out a scream, he placed two packs into the cart and headed for the line. Hopefully it would be long; he needed to stay as far away from his house for as long as possible. Not for the first time he wondered why life was so cruel to him.

----------------------------

'Damnit, I'm tired!' Marik thought as he walked down the millionth sidewalk in an hour. He really hated walking. He wasn't going to walk for a month after this, just fly everywhere. What did he care if it wasn't allowed in the palace? The blonde Shadow looked at his watch, reading 2:30. It had been hours since he, Seto, and Bakura had split up to look for that human boy, and still not a trace of him. It was starting to tick Marik off, and a mad Marik was even more dangerous than a bored Bakura.

'Where the hell is this kid? It's like he disappeared. Maybe he didn't exist and we're just chasing after a mirage.' Marik growled and leaned against a wall of a building. This was probably a complete waste of time, but as long as Seto said so, they had to continue looking for the kid. It's not like he or Bakura had a choice. Since Seto was the King's advisor and second on the High Council, it was his duty to take over when the king was unable to rule. Marik really didn't envy him; there was no way he wanted that job. It required discipline, extensive knowledge, a long attention span, patience, and people skills. None of which he possessed. At least the only things required of a War General was the ability to come up with good strategies, and fighting skills.

'If I ever find this kid, I'm going to chain myself to him. Like hell am I loosing him again. If he even exists. Damnit, this is pissing me off. At this rate, we'll never find Yami. It'll probably take twenty years to find the boy.' Marik blew air out of his mouth, his pale blonde bangs billowing out slightly, coming back to rest on his tanned cheeks. 'Ok, time to go back to searching. Standing here is not going to get us anywhere. I wonder where Bakura is at. Maybe I should call him.' But just as he was reaching for the cell phone in his pocket, he spotted a mane of sliver hair further down the street on his left. 'There he is. I wonder why I didn't pick up his scent.'

Marik started to walk towards the other, wishing that the crowd would walk a little faster. Couldn't they recognize a person in a hurry? He was very tempted to just spread his wings and fly over, but that would cause mass panic, world wide scandal, and possible war. And worst of all, Seto would be pissed. So for now, he had to deal with walking amongst human, touching them and breathing the same air. It was enough to make him sick.

The Shadow noticed that Bakura was at a corner, and sped up in hopes of catching him before he vanished. Because Bakura was slightly smaller than him, he could pass through crowds easier. If he lost him now, there would be no telling where they would meet up again. And he really didn't feel like calling. But as fast as he tried, he was still two blocks away when the other turned around. "Oh, shit," Marik said out loud, earning glares and curious looks from the other pedestrians. 'Stupid Bakura. Leaving when I need him. I'm not rushing after him. If he wants to leave fine. I'll just follow…slowly.'

-------------------

'Gods, it's almost three. What the hell am I doing here?' Bakura asked himself as he walked out of a park. 'This is completely pointless. We aren't going to find the kid after one day. Who knows where he could be. He might not even be in this city anymore, and here we are wasting our time looking for him. Definitely not one of Seto's best plans.'

Bakura was tired, bored, and annoyed, and was becoming more annoyed each minute. He had been walking around town for hours and he still couldn't find hide nor hair of the teen. He couldn't pick up his scent either, though with the amount of scents in this city it wasn't too surprising that he couldn't find it. Though that just made him even angrier. It was as if someone wanted to mess with them. And Bakura didn't like being messed with.

The Shadow stood next a metal pole watching the humans walk by, hating them completely. It was no longer just for the wars of the past; kidnapping his king and friend was a personal offence, and Bakura planned to get his revenge on whoever took Yami. And depending on how badly they found Yami, Bakura's revenge would come back just as bad. But at this point, he just wanted to slit the human's throat and rip out his or her intestines through the esophagus. That'd teach the humans to stay away from his race.

Suddenly Bakura spotted a tan boy with light blonde hair a few blocks away on the right. 'I didn't realize Marik was so close. I'll go see if he's found anything. Crap, he's leaving!' Bakura took off in a run, not caring about the humans he knocked over. He really needed to be around something that didn't belong to this world, and Marik was the best he could get in this situation. Seto would be very pissed if he found that he went back home. No way was he dealing with a pissed Seto, especially not when the brunette was already on the verge of slicing off heads.

'Damnit, what the hell is he in a hurry for?' The other boy was starting to rush, as if he was late for something. Or maybe he found the boy. Bakura ran faster at that thought, the hope that their search was over pumping through his veins. He was a little pissed that Marik hadn't called him, but it didn't matter. He was probably in a hurry to follow the boy that he forgot. Bakura wasn't going to call Seto until he caught up with Marik, or until he saw that they had gotten the kid.

'Man, I'm loosing him! Stupid humans! Why can't you move faster? Shit, he's gone.' Bakura slowed down when he saw that the other had turned a corner. He should have sped up incase he lost Marik, but he could always call. Besides, he was too tired to run. What he would give just to be able to fly, but he couldn't until they got home. And usually he was too tired to do anything but sleep when they got home. 'I guess I'll go this way. I'll probably see him again.'

------------------------

Marik was totally and completely confused. 'Where the hell is Bakura going?' He was still too far away from the other Shadow, but it looked as if he was going somewhere. 'It's like he knows where to go. Maybe he's been down this street before.' But that was impossible. He would have picked up the other's scent, but he couldn't find anything. He had tried calling out the other's name, but Bakura didn't respond. He had called out pretty loudly, and unless Bakura was too deep in thought, he should have responded.

'I'm getting sick of following that moron. But I have no leads on this street, so I might as well. Maybe he's meeting with Seto. But if he is, why didn't they call me? Those bastards are trying to leave me out. Thanks a lot, jackasses.'

Growling lowly, the Shadow picked up his pace when he saw the other slow down a bit. He was going to catch Bakura and yell at him for walking so fast. And then yell at him for leaving him out of whatever it was he in such a rush for. 'We are seriously never going to find Yami this way. Jeez, why can't things just be simple? And there he goes with the rushing again. I seriously hate walking.'

-------------------------

"Where the hell is Marik going?" Bakura wondered as he sped up slightly. He felt like he was being lead on a wild goose chase, because not once had the other stopped long enough for Bakura to catch up to him. It felt like he was being toyed with again. 'When I see that ugly bastard, I'll kick his ass. Making me run like this.'

It had been four blocks, and still the other was not slowing down. To Bakura it seemed as if he was heading to a certain place instead of following someone else. If Marik had been following the boy, he wouldn't be acting like he was in a hurry. Well…yes he would, but it wouldn't seem so planned out. It was way too thought up, this going down all these streets. 'It's like he knows which streets to take. As if he had made plans to go down this way. But that's impossible, unless he's been this way before.'

But he didn't have time to dwell on that thought as Marik ran even faster. 'God damn you, Marik! Slow the hell down!'

-------------------------

'When I catch up to him, he will die!' Marik thought as he turned yet another corner. He gave a silent cheer when he saw that he was a block away from the other, and that he was slowing down. 'It's about fucking time! Now I can find out what the hell was so important that he had to run seven blocks. And what's the deal with these long ass blocks anyway. Do they have to cram so many buildings into such a tiny space?'

Marik was now running by a large, red brick building, and he noticed that Bakura had put one hand on the side of the building to steady himself as he caught his breath. 'That wimp. He can't run seven blocks without suffocating. And he always says he's so strong. More like pathetic. Gah! There he goes with turning the corner again!'

-------------------------------

'I am going to break every bone in his legs after this,' Bakura thought, stopping to quickly catch his breath when he saw Marik slow down. The Shadow's shoulder bumped gently against the side of a red, brick building as he slowed down. But he didn't stop. No way was he stopping, because with his luck he'd just have to start running all over again.

'If he runs again, I'm going to fly over and tackle him. Then I'm going to break all the bones in his legs.' Bakura watched as Marik turned another corner and groaned, developing a hate for corners. Why are there so damn many of them?'

So Bakura took off after the other Shadow, turning to corner to find himself face to face with…

Marik.

"It's about damn time you stopped!" Bakura yelled.

"Where the hell were you going!" Marik yelled at the same time. Both Shadows blinked at each other, confusion swimming through their minds. "What do you mean stopped?" Marik asked.

"I've been chasing you for ten minutes, and not once have you slowed down!" Bakura responded, folding his arms over his chest as he glared at the blonde.

"Chasing me? I've been following you down seven blocks, and you haven't stopped once!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I was chasing you."

"And I was chasing you. And…we both came from different directions."

"So who or what were we going after?"

"I don't know," Marik replied, shaking his head. He looked up at the building they were standing next to. Above the doors of the red building read 'Domino Public Library' in gold letters. "But we both ended up here. Maybe we are supposed to find something here."

"In a library? You think the kid is here?"

"Maybe. But that doesn't explain the figures we were chasing. We should call Seto." Marik pulled out the phone and opened it, about to press the number on the pad to speed dial Seto, when Bakura's hand stopped him.

"Marik! Look over there!" Marik lifted his head to gaze across the street where Bakura was pointing, and his eyes widened in shock.

------------------------------

Malik gasped in air as he entered the library, being immediately hushed by the librarian. He ignored her and looked around. He had just made it on time. He and Ryou had planned to meet here after school to work on his history project. Although, Malik wanted to go visit Yugi more. But Jou had said he would call, even though he still believed calling would lead to nothing.

"Malik!" he heard a voice call him, and he turned to his left to see Ryou. The British boy was standing next to a flight of stairs. He rushed over to his British friend, happy to see he wasn't the only one who had rushed to arrive. Ryou's normally pale cheeks were flushed, and little beads of sweat were clinging to his skin.

"Hi, Ryou. Just got here?"

"Yea. I already saved one of the study rooms, so lets go up."

"Thanks for helping out," Marik said as they ascended the stairs.

"You are just lucky the teacher gave you an extension. I can't believe your excuse!"

"I can't believe he bought it."

"But really, who would believe something that lame."

"It was not lame! It was well thought out," Malik defended.

"You didn't do your project because you were too lonely with your sister in Egypt, and you with no one around."

"It's classic."

"It's crap, is what it is. But you have another week, and you are going to do every bit. And we are coming to the library every day until it's finished," Ryou said with a stern glare.

"Can't come on Sundays," the Egyptian replied with a smirk."

"Then you will come to my house to work. But I refuse to let you slack off," Ryou said, opening the door to a study room and walking in. "Now get to work."

"Yes, Sergeant Ryou. But I can't seem to concentrate now."

"You don't concentrate ever. That's why we are here."

Malik glared at him, putting his books down on the table and sitting down in a chair. "Not funny. But I'm serious. All the way here I felt as if I was being followed."

"You too? I had the same feeling. And I thought I heard someone call out my name."

"Really?" Malik asked, receiving a nod from the silver haired boy.

"But what was strange was that I heard someone say 'Bakura'. No one calls me by my last name, at least no one that I know of."

"Maybe they don't know your first name. Or maybe something weird is going on."

"Well, I don't want to think of it right now. Let's concentrate on your work. I'm sure we're just being paranoid." The blonde nodded and opened his history books, and the two started working. For a few minutes there was silence, until Malik broke it.

"You…you don't think that…it was one of Ushio's friends, do you?"

"Oh great! Go and make me more paranoid, why don't you!"

---------------------------

Bakura and Marik stood there on the sidewalk staring in shock at the person across the street. They just couldn't believe who they were seeing. It seemed almost impossible, because they were not that lucky. In fact, their luck was completely horrible today. But it looked like their luck was finally turning around.

"Marik…are you…seeing what I'm seeing?"

"You mean the kid that looks like Yami?"

"Yea."

The two Shadows blinked and rubbed their eyes, to make sure that they weren't imagining things. But there he was, the boy who looked like Yami. He was standing right across the street from them at a cross walk. Bakura and Marik inspected him further, finding similarities and differences in his appearance compared to their Master's. While they had the same color and shape of their hair, this boy did not have those blonde bangs that shot up into his hair. He was slightly smaller than Yami, and his figure was slim and delicate. He had soft, pale skin and large amethyst eyes. He could pass as the King's brother.

It was then that they felt it. The traces of magic surrounding the boy. The two Shadows knew in an instant that the boy had come in contact with Yami. There was no mistaking that magic, for no other Shadow in the world had magic that powerful. There was a protective spell surrounding the boy and they could feel it pulse slightly, reaching out to feel the auras of the humans around the boy. Occasionally it would spike, indicating it felt a possible threat around a certain human, but other times it would curl around another human as if sensing a gentle aura. But whatever it was doing didn't really matter; they had finally found the boy.

"Marik, let's go before the light turns green!" Bakura yelled, running across the street with the blonde close behind. But before they could reach the boy, the crowd started moving again, and the two became caught up in the flow.

"Damnit, this is just our luck! We find the kid, but can't catch him 'cause of this stupid crowd."

"Well let's follow him. Look, he has grocery bags. Maybe he's heading home now. Either way, we can't loose him or Seto will have our asses."

"Fine, but I am really getting sick of chasing after people," Marik replied as he and Bakura took off after the boy. They tried to remain a few feet behind him so it didn't look too suspicious, but at the same time they had to walk quickly so they wouldn't loose him in the crowd. "Jeez! The only way we can see the kid is by his hair. He's too damn short!"

"Stop talking and keep running," Bakura yelled at him as they crossed a street seconds before the traffic started again. They didn't really care about the traffic or the other pedestrians; not like they cared before, but now they had to concentrate only on following the boy. After ten minutes the boy turned down a street into a quiet suburb. The Shadows were thankful that they could get away from the stink of the human city.

After a few more minutes of chasing, they noticed that the boy started to slow his pace. They could feel his nervousness even from where they were. "Shit, you don't think he senses us, do you?" Marik whispered as he and Bakura hid behind a large bush.

"Don't know, but he's not stopping. It seems more like he's trying to avoid arriving at some place."

"Think there's something going on at wherever he's heading?"

"Don't know, don't care. All we have to do is find out where the Master is. If we have to, we can grab the kid and ask him. But let's keep following a little more. Maybe he'll lead us to Yami." Marik nodded and the two took off after the human again, hiding every now and then. The boy then suddenly stopped a few feet away from a house. The Shadows saw him stare up at the top window and take a deep breath before walking up to it and entering.

From their hiding place, Bakura and Marik smirked. They stood up, and Marik pulled out his cell phone. Pressing a button on the key pad, he listened to the ring for a few seconds before talking. "Hey Seto. We found the kid."

------------------------

Yugi stood at the bottom of the stairs silently, just looking at the top. He was slightly nervous about coming face to face with the Shadow King again. And also a bit embarrassed, the earlier events still way too fresh in his mind, but he knew that he couldn't hide from Yami forever. He needed to gather up all his courage and go up there. After all, this was his house. He didn't have to hide from anyone. Taking in a deep breath and putting on his game face, he walked up the stairs and into the living room.

He quietly opened the door, trying to keep the grocery bags from crinkling too much. All the courage he previously had was starting to fade away now that he was back inside. Yugi felt as if his home had become a prison, the walls trapping him in with Yami, and the sound of the door closing sounded more like the prison door slamming shut.

"Welcome back, Yugi," came the Shadow's voice from upstairs.

"H-hi, Yami," the human teen responded quietly, cursing his shaky voice. That would definitely tip the other off that something was wrong. He was trying to act brave, damnit! So why didn't his body get the message his brain was sending out? When he heard movement upstairs, Yugi quickly moved into the kitchen to keep a distance between them. He knew he was being stupid, but he couldn't help it. He just couldn't look at the other, because if he did he'd probably spill his heart out to the other. And that was the last thing he would ever do.

Yami walked down the stairs and headed to the kitchen, where he saw Yugi putting away the groceries. The King stood there silently, watching the boy at work. He would have offered to help, but he got the feeling that Yugi wanted him to stay away for a bit. Well, it was more than a feeling. He could see the tense way the teen was standing, and heard the increased breaths. Sighing mentally, Yami leaned against the door frame quietly, his wings drooping slightly indicating his saddened mood. He seriously hoped that the human wouldn't avoid him, because that was the last thing he wanted. Yami didn't want this friendship to be over so quickly, especially over a stupid kiss.

Yugi glanced at the King out of the corner of his eye. He felt a small pang in his heart when he saw the frown on the other's face. Even though Yami was facing the ground, the teen could still see the hurt in his crimson eyes. It made Yugi feel even worse than before, and he knew that he had to do something, otherwise he would go insane. He hadn't wanted things to turn out like this, and he resolved to try to change it back. Placing both hands on the table, he stood there trying to figure out what to do. His left hand brushed against a plastic bag, causing him to look over. When he saw the contents, he smiled slightly and looked up at the Shadow, hoping that his plan would work.

Yami looked up when he heard the movements stop, and watched as the human stared at a bag. He cocked his head to the side when he saw Yugi smile and look up at him. Confused, he watched the human turn away to play with one of the handles on the bag, before turning back to look at him. "Yugi?" he called out. Yugi was acting strangely, and it was kinda creeping him out.

"Yami…I bought these for you," Yugi replied, pointing to the bag he was playing with. Warily, the Shadow walked up to the table and took the bag. Glancing once at the human who now had his head down, he opened the bag slowly only to start laughing. A sense of happiness and relief washed over him as he looked at the two packs of Oreos in the bag. At least he knew that Yugi didn't hate him for stealing that kiss, however accidental it was.

"Thank you, Yugi," the King said, smiling widely at the boy who shyly smiled back, a small blush painting itself on his cheeks. "But how did you know to buy more?"

"I saw the empty pack _discreetly_ hidden in the garbage. And I haven't eaten these for two days," Yugi replied, going back to putting away the groceries. "Not like I could have eaten them, since whenever I looked for them they were missing."

"Yea well…you're the one who introduced me to them."

"Big mistake on my part."

Yami just smiled at him, happy that the tenseness was slowly leaving the boy. And to think, all it took were cookies. "Oh, by the way. Someone called while you were gone. I didn't answer the phone, but the name said 'Katsuya Jou'."

"Jou called!" Yugi asked, spinning around and darting towards the phone. 'Oh no! I told him I was sick, and since I didn't answer, he probably thinks something happened to me! Damn, I should have taken my cell phone.' Quickly dialing the numbers, he waited impatiently for the blonde boy to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jou. It's Yugi."

"Yug'! I was freaked out! I called ya, but no one answered. Me 'n Honda were about ta go ova ta see if ya were ok."

"I'm fine. I was…taking a shower, and I didn't hear the phone ring. Sorry to worry you." Yugi looked over at the Shadow King, noticing he had a spaced out look. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around. What he didn't know was that the reason Yami was acting spacey was because when Yugi had said the word 'shower', millions of images began to fly around his mind. He didn't know how to stop them, but frankly he really didn't want to.

"Are ya sure you're ok? How's you're stomach?"

"I'm feeling better. I just need to rest."

"Ok. But ya better get back in bed now. I ain't gonna have ya sick."

"Jou-"

"Would ya rather me 'n Honda come ova ta take care of ya?"

"No way. That'll make me worse."

"Then get your butt back in bed. But later call Malik, 'cause he was freakin' out at school saying you were dying 'n all."

"I'll…be sure to call him later. But now I'm going to go sleep more. Bye."

"See ya."

Yugi hung up the phone with a sigh, happy that he had avoided a confrontation between Jou and Yami. Speaking of Yami, the Shadow still seemed to be in that daze, and he seemed to be…drooling. Walking up to the other, Yugi snapped his fingers in front of Yami's face, jerking the other out of his stupor. "You ok?"

Yami turned away from the amethyst eyed boy, coughing in embarrassment. "Yes, I'm fine." Yugi blinked and looked closely at him, wondering if he was imagining the light pink blush across the Shadow's face.

"What were you thinking of?" Yugi asked, noticing that the pink tint had darkened. Cocking his head to the side, he waited for the answer, his curiosity peaked.

"N-nothing. Um…are you done unpacking?" Yami really wanted to change the subject and quickly. There was no way he was going to tell Yugi what he thought of.

"Yup. And now I'm really tired, so I'm going to go take a nap," Yugi responded, walking out of the kitchen. "But first I'm going to take a shower. So I'll see you later." Because he had his back towards the other, he didn't see the deep blush on Yami's cheeks, nor the glassy look to his eyes. And he didn't notice the little bit of drool at the side of the Shadow's mouth as more images floated through his brain.

----------------------

"So, let me get this straight," Seto said as he paced back and forth in front of the other two Shadows. The three were standing in a clearing in the woods near the park, glad to finally be away from the humans. At least here they could relax. "You two found the kid who looks like Yami, followed him to his house, then just left him?"

"Yea," the two others replied at the same time.

"……and you left him?" Seto asked again.

"Hey, we _found_ him," defended Bakura. "And we know where he lives too, so you can't bitch at us."

"Fine. As long as you don't forget. So now that we know where the kid lives, we can get him and find out what he knows about Yami."

"What if Yamiis there?" Marik asked.

"Then that will make things a lot easier."

"But at least we know that he has come in contact with him. We felt Yami's magic surrounding the kid, and Yami's scent on the kid was strong. Which means that he was recently in contact with him," Bakura said.

"We also traced the kid's scent back from where we first saw him," Marik added. "The only place he had been was a grocery store, and then the scent went back to that house. And since the scent seemed to surround the kid completely, we can rule out that he bumped into Yami on the way. Plus the magic around the kid wasn't stolen. It was freely given."

"Which proves that he is or was somehow involved with Yami. The only way we can find out the answers is to talk to the kid. And since we know where he lives, we can go visit him. But we can't just walk up to the house, ring the bell, and start asking questions about Yami," finished Seto as he stopped pacing. The Shadow opened his wings and stretched them out, happy that he could finally release them now that he was free from human eyes.

"So you're saying that the only way we can get answers now is by breaking into the kid's house and forcing him to answer our questions?" Bakura asked him.

"Sadly that is our only option. I was hoping that we could do this without traumatizing the boy for life, but it seems as if we can't do that anymore. But as to forcing him to answer, I still stand by what I said about not hurting the boy. There are other ways besides fear and torture to get answers."

The two nodded and all three stood there silently. Marik sighed and released his wings, flying a few feet in the air and hanging upside down. "So when do we go?" he asked.

"Sometime tonight. When there are no people around to see us," Bakura replied.

"All right, so now all we have to do is wait till nightfall. Hopefully the kid will be able to tell us where Yami is, or at least tell us something about him," the brunette commented.

"That's fine, but until night comes, I'm going back to the palace and sleeping," Marik said, up righting himself and flying a few feet away from the other two. "Gotta be rested for tonight." Then he flew off, followed by Bakura and Seto a few seconds later.

-------------------

The Shadow King lay on the couch in the living room, completely bored out of his mind. It was almost seven and he had nothing to do. Yugi had gone to sleep a few hours ago, and still had not woken up. Which left Yami with nothing to do but watch TV. Which he had gotten sick of about an hour ago. He was trying to be quiet so as not to wake the other boy, but he really needed to do something.

The crimson eyed teen sighed, and rolled over on his side, gently shifting his wings so that they leaned comfortably against the cushions. Luckily, his left wing seemed to be almost completely healed. He hadn't felt any pain since yesterday, even when he moved it. Hopefully he'd be able to try flying again. In fact, he was so bored he decided to try it again now. 'Might as well,' he thought. 'There is nothing else to do.'

So the Shadow got up and stood in the middle of the room, stretching his wings out as far as they would go. But before he could lift himself up off the ground, he heard a door open upstairs and soft footsteps come closer. He looked towards the top of the stair case to see a sleepy Yugi standing there, rubbing one of his eyes and yawning cutely. "Hi, Yami," he said softly.

"Did you have a good nap?" the King asked, folding his wings on his back. Another sign that his wing was healing, because when it was broken, he couldn't lift it up for anything in the world. The younger boy nodded as he watched the appendages move, curiosity and concern shining in those large amethyst eyes.

"So your wing is better?" Yugi asked, walking down towards the other and reaching out to stroke the left wing.

"Yep," Yami responded happily. "And hopefully I'll be able to fly soon." He was trying so hard to keep from purring in content, but he just loved it when the boy pet his wing.

"It must be so fun to fly," the human said with a smile. "Too bad I can't do it."

"When my wing gets better, I'll take you flying."

"Really!" Yugi asked excitedly. "That would be so much fun! You are so lucky to have wings."

"Sometimes they can be a pain. Like now," Yami replied with a chuckle. Yugi was practically bouncing around, acting all innocent and care free.

"I kinda figured. But I still say you are lucky. Having wings, using magic, being a king. What more could you want?"

"If I asked for more, then I'd be coming off as selfish."

"Well, you already are pampered," Yugi said as he walked into the kitchen. "You don't even know how to use a broom."

"I'm sorry, but you can't blame me for that. I was taught the important things, not how to clean."

"Well, let see. You don't dust, sweep, vacuum, do laundry, or cook. I bet you don't even make your bed. Sounds pretty spoiled to me."

Yami said nothing, but just stood there in the doorway of the kitchen, glaring at the younger boy. But he couldn't argue. He didn't do any of those things. But no one expected him to. He grew up with maids, servants, and chefs. As the prince, it was his job to prepare himself to take over the throne, not learn how to use brooms. "I can cook, you know. I studied with the best chefs of my people."

"And you are spoiled too. What a life. But at least you don't act spoiled. You have a very nice personality, and that's what I like about you," Yugi told him with a smile. Yami could feel the blush spread across his cheeks like a wildfire, and he averted his gaze and gave a small, embarrassed cough.

"Well…thanks," the Shadow replied quietly. "So…what are you doing?" he asked, watching Yugi pull out a bucket of strawberry ice-cream.

"Having dinner," Yugi answered, pouring an entire bottle of strawberry syrup into the bucket, topping it off with whipped cream. It was a good thing he didn't look up just then, because he would have seen the other looking at him with a very perverted gaze, a bit of drool falling out the side of his mouth.

"Uh…this is your dinner?" Yami asked, beating away the perverted thoughts with a stick, while trying and failing to think of other things besides what else that 'dinner' could be used for.

"Yup. I've been craving ice-cream for a while. It's a good thing we had some; saves me the trouble of going out and buying some. And don't give me that look. I know you are thinking that this isn't the best dinner, but I don't care," the human said as he walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room and turning on the TV.

'Actually I was thinking that the ice-cream would probably taste better if it was on you, but you REALLY don't need to know that.' "I can see you like strawberries a lot."

"Yup! It's the best fruit ever. Even better when they are dipped in chocolate."

'Ok, he must be testing me somehow. Does he know what I think of him? Wait…_I_ don't even know what I think of him. Oh, gods, he's eating it!' Yami tried to tear his eyes away from the site, but just couldn't. No matter how hard he tried.

"If you want some you can get a spoon. You don't have to keep staring at me."

'The things he does to me.' "N-no. I'm fine. Besides, it makes you fat."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Yugi asked him with a glare.

"No! That's not what I meant. I mean if you eat too much, you will get fat."

"I eat ice-cream all the time. So you are saying that every time I eat it, I gain more weight, which is just another way of saying I'm fat."

"NO! I'm saying you CAN get fat. You aren't fat at all. In fact, you are very skinny," Yami said, desperately hoping to change the topic somehow.

"So you are saying that I have a weight problem? Is that it?"

"NO! I…I just said…in fact, just forget I said anything at all, ok?"

"No, I want to know now. What am I, Yami? Too fat or too skinny?" the human teen asked with a glare. Little did Yami know Yugi was just messing with him. He had the same conversation with his friends at least once a week.

"Neither! You are fine! Just perfect! You look great, and I wouldn't change you for the world! Now can we please talk about something else?" Yami begged, really wishing he could hide under a rock.

"Fine, but you are not allowed to comment on my choice of food anymore. Got it?"

Yami just nodded, very glad that they had gotten over that topic. The last thing he wanted was to have Yugi mad at him again. How was he supposed to know that the human was touchy about that subject? But he had told the truth when he said the human was perfect. There was not a single flaw about the boy. And with a perfect personality to top it off, it was no surprise he became friends with the boy.

The two sat there watching television for a few hours, flipping through the channels and fighting over the remote all the time. Though it was Yugi who won most of those fights because he used his puppy eyes. Finally at 11:42 they both decided they had had enough of TV, and decided to call it a night. Or at least Yami did, seeing as Yugi was too hyped up on sugar to think about sleeping. So when the Shadow got up from the couch, Yugi bounced up as well and clung onto Yami's arm. Not that Yami minded though; he actually liked it. Now if only he could stop his heart from racing so much.

-----------------------------

"So this is the place?" asked a hooded figure as he gently landed on a tree branch outside of Yugi's home.

"Yep. This is where we followed the kid. And it looks like he's still there," answered another figure as he and one more landed on the branch next to the first.

"Good," said the first male, removing his hood and letting his chestnut hair fall loose. "And it's a good thing that he doesn't live in a crowded area. But still, we'll have to place a barrier around the house."

"So, when do we go in, Seto?" one of the other two asked, removing his own hood and letting his silver hair fall forwards. "Why don't we just go in now?"

"Because, you moron," said the last one, taking off his hood and running his hands through his platinum blonde hair, "we don't know if he's alone. And we don't know where in the house he is."

"Marik's right, Bakura," said Seto. "We have to wait to see if there is anyone else in there. And this room is dark now," he said, looking across the street into a room that was obviously a teen's. Now they just had to wait for the teen to enter the room. Suddenly the room was engulfed by light, and the three Shadows tensed up, getting ready to fly over when they needed to. The three watched for a minute as no one entered, and just as they were getting restless they saw a figure walk inside.

"Holy…he does look like Yami!" Seto whispered. The other two nodded as they continued to watch the kid. He seemed to be talking to someone, but the three couldn't see who it was. And then right before their eyes, Yami entered the room. "Oh my god! It's him!" Seto cried.

"I don't believe it!" said Bakura.

"It's really Yami" said Marik.

The three watched in shock as Yami talked with the human. The human said something which made them both laugh. Then Yami said something, and the human responded while poking Yami in the side. In reply, Yami ruffled the boy's hair while laughing, and the boy pouted and stuck his tongue at him, which Yami did in return.

"Wait," Marik said. "Are we sure that's Yami? Because he's acting _way_ too friendly with that kid."

"But…who else has that hair besides Yami and the kid? And I'm pretty sure that no one else has black, feathered wings," Seto replied. "But I admit, that doesn't really seem like Yami. Yami's usually not so…energetic."

"What's he doing now?" Bakura asked, and the others turned back to the house. They watched as the human put on a hurt face and turned his back to their King. Then came the biggest surprise of their life. Yami walked up to the boy and embraced him from behind. The three Shadows dropped their jaws as they watched the human lean into the embrace with a smile. "D-did Yami…just…hug a human?"

"Ok, that proves it. That's not the real Yami," said Marik.

"But…the wings," Seto said.

"Then…then the humans are controlling him somehow. But that is not him! I just can't believe that Yami would willingly embrace a human."

"Wait! The human is coming closer!" Bakura warned, and the three leaned further away from the edge of the branch, hiding themselves in the leaves. As another precaution, they all masked their scent so that Yami would not be able to find them. The three watched the human open the window and then go to sit on the bed. With the window open, they were now able to listen to their conversation.

"That's much better," the boy said. "It was too stuffy in here."

"But now it's too chilly," Yami said.

"Deal with it. I want the window open, and it's my room."

"But I'm using it now, so I want it closed."

"It's my house, and what I say goes."

"I'm your guest, so I get what I want."

"Told you you were spoiled. Yami, don't go near that window," the boy said, getting up off the bed.

Yami just smiled and stepped closer to the window. They saw the boy reached for a pillow, and noticed their Master tense up. "Ooo, look at me. I'm getting closer to the window," Yami said.

"Yami, I'm warning you," the boy replied, raising the pillow above his head. "Don't make me hit you again."

Yami stepped closer. "And what will you do if I do?"

"This!" the boy said, jumping towards their King, and attacking him with the pillow. The three Shadows watched as the human chased Yami all around the room, and heard Yami's laughter. They just couldn't believe their eyes. It really seemed as if Yami was having fun. In fact, they could sense his happiness from where they were.

"Are you positive that that is Yami?" Bakura whispered to Seto. The brunette just nodded.

"So what are we going to do now? We hadn't planned on finding Yami here."

"We just…I don't know what we are going to do," Seto said with a sigh. "Look!" They watched as Yami tackled the human and took the pillow away.

"Ha!" he said. "Now you can't hit me anymore."

The human then leaped at the other, tackling him and sending them both to the ground. The two fought over the pillow, with Yami winning. Then suddenly Yami cried out in pain and backed away. The three Shadows tensed immediately, ready to fly over and grab their King.

"Yami, what's wrong?" the human asked, worry in his voice.

"Nothing. It's just my wing. Moved it too fast."

"You didn't hurt it more did you?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Yami replied, smiling at the teen

"Yami, are you sure you are ok?" the human asked, helping their King stand.

"Don't worry, Yugi. I'm fine," Yami replied, moving his wing. "Ah! Though it still hurts. Ow, don't touch."

"So that's why his wings were out," Marik said. "He must have hurt them somehow. And that human probably just made it worse."

"Well, that settles it. We have to get him out of that house now. Ok, Bakura," Seto said as the three expanded their wings, "you know what to do." The silver haired Shadow nodded, puling out a dagger. "Ok then. Let's go."

------------------------

Yami stood there flexing his left wing as he waited for the pain to leave. He had thought it was better, but it seemed that he still needed more time before he could fly. He sensed Yugi's worry and smiled at him, hoping to calm the boy. "I'm fine. I just have to be more careful."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tackled you."

"It's not your fault, Yugi. I should have…Yugi, get behind me," Yami said, suddenly very serious. He stared out the window, sensing something approach them. He couldn't pick up a scent, but it seemed familiar. But he wasn't going to take any chances, especially with Yugi.

"Yami, what's-" Yugi started to ask, but was cut off when suddenly three hooded figures burst into his room. He saw two grab Yami, but before he could do anything he was pressed against a wall with a dagger at his throat. He looked into cold brown eyes and was over come with fear.

"Let me go! Who are you?" Yami yelled, struggling against the grip of the two that were holding him.

"**Yami, calm down! It's us!**" one figure said in a strange language, removing his hood to reveal brown hair.

"**Seto?**" Yami asked, responding in that language. "**Marik? Bakura? What are you doing here?**"

"**We came to rescue you, stupid**," another one said, removing his hood. Yugi gasped when he saw that the man looked almost exactly like Malik. 'He must be Marik. And this must be Bakura.'

"Yami" Yugi whispered, not daring to move his neck incase the dagger cut through him.

"Shut up, human," Bakura said, pressing the knife harder against his throat, causing Yugi to whimper in fear. It was just like a few nights ago when Ushio and his gang attacked him with daggers.

"**Bakura, put him down!**" Yami yelled. He could sense the fear from Yugi, and knew that the boy was probably picturing Ushio. He glanced down at Yugi's left wrist and noticed the bracelet turning a faint red. 'It's reacting to the threat.'

"**Why? He's a human, Yami. Who cares what happens to him**."

"**Bakura! I said put him down**," the King said, advancing towards the other when he was held back by Seto and Marik. "**Let me go!**" he cried, struggling against their hold.

"**Yami, calm down!**" Marik said.

"**No! Let him go, Bakura!**" Yami yelled, becoming angrier when he saw tears beginning to build up in Yugi's eyes. "**I gave you an order, Bakura! Let him go now!**"

Yugi felt the grip on him slowly loosen, and he collapsed on the ground, scooting away from the other Shadow. Yami freed himself from the others and rushed towards the boy. "Yugi, are you alright?" Yami asked, and Yugi nodded his head. He helped the human stand up, then inspected his neck. His eyes narrowed in anger when they saw the line of blood on Yugi's throat, and turned to glare at Bakura. "You cut him!"

"So?" Bakura responded. "What does it matter?"

Yugi's hands flew to his throat, and felt the stickiness on his skin. He whimpered, and Yami turned back around, gently placing a hand on his throat. Yugi felt a sudden warmth flow through him, and realized that the Shadow was healing him. "I say it matters! I told you to release him, yet you disobeyed me!"

"Yami, he's a human!" Marik cried out. "Why the hell are you healing him? You should have killed him the second he saw you. It's the law!"

'Wait…law? Yami never told me about that law.' Yugi looked up at Yami who sighed and turned away from him, nodding once. 'But…why didn't he tell me? And why didn't he do it?'

"So why haven't you done it yet?" Bakura asked him, stepping closer to Yugi. Yugi whimpered and hid behind Yami.

"This boy saved my life. That is why I have not killed him. And I forbid any one of you from hurting him."

"How did he save you," Seto asked. He had been watching the two interact with each other, and noticed that there was something between them. The way they had acted before, and the way Yami was protecting him now gave light to the fact that there was a bond between them. Seto was shocked when he realized what it was. It was the first friendship between a Shadow and a human.

"He found me in the park the night of that battle. He brought me here and has tended to my wounds. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be alive. And that is why I won't let anyone hurt him."

"But, Yami-" Marik started.

"NO! This boy is under my protection, and if you try to hurt him I will not hesitate to attack you. I am the King, and I will not stand for you to disobey me! Understand!"

"Yes, Master," the three said as they bowed. Yugi watched silently, amazed at this side of Yami. The only time he had seen him aggressive was when he first woke up. He was so used to seeing the calm, gentle side of Yami that this was a surprise to him. 'Though a King does need to be assertive. Otherwise he wouldn't be a good King.'

"Yami, we have to go," said Seto.

"Back home?" Yami asked, suddenly hoping that none of this was a dream.

"No, to the Swiss Alps," Marik said sarcastically. "Of course back home! Where else?"

"I can't believe it! I'm finally going home! I've been waiting for so long!" '…but…wait…' Yami turned to look at Yugi who looked up at him with a smile.

"I'm so glad for you. You finally get to go back. You must be so excited."

"Yea, I am," Yami replied with a smile. He then grabbed Yugi and pulled him into a hug, to the great surprise of the other Shadows. "Thank you so much for everything you have done for me."

"I should be thanking you," Yugi said, hugging the other back and trying to keep his eyes from watering. You are the one that saved me twice. Three times if you count stealing my batteries to keep me home from school." 'I can't believe it. He's really leaving me. He's going to go away forever, and I'll never see him again.'

"You are one of the greatest people I know, and a great friend. I'll miss you, and I won't ever forget you."

"I'll miss you too," Yugi said, his voice cracking with emotion. The two reluctantly let go, wishing they had more time. Yugi bit his lip and looked down, not wanting the others to see him cry.

"You ready?" Marik asked, and Yami nodded walking towards the blonde and climbing onto his back. "Ok, then. Back to Kyall Arie."

"Yea. Back home," Yami said quietly. He watched Bakura fly out the window, then turned around to look once more at Yugi. He felt sadness radiating off the boy, and it just increased his own. "Yugi," he called, and the human looked up, eyes shining with unshed tears. It seemed far too soon to say it, but it was time. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Yami," Yugi said in reply, wanting to say so much more. There were so many things he wanted to tell the Shadow, but knew he would never get the chance. As he watched Marik climb out the window and fly away he felt his heart break, the only one he ever really cared for leaving him just like that. He watched as the one called Seto walked towards the window and called out to him. "Um…Seto…sir. Please…take care of him."

Seto didn't respond nor did he turn around. He just stood there, then nodded once and took off after the others. Yugi bit back a sob as he rushed towards the window, hoping he would be able to see Yami at least once more. But when he looked into the night sky, he couldn't see a single person. He could no longer hold back his tears, and let them run freely down his face as he gazed at the moon. "Goodbye, Yami. I'll always remember you. And I…I'll always…I'll always love you."

---------------------TO BE CONTINUED--------------------------

Star: FINALLY! OMG! IT'S FINALLY FINISHED :collapses from exhaustion: After more than two months it's finally finished! AND OMG! THEY HAVE KISSED! AND SETO AND JOU MET! AND BAKURA AND MARIK SAW MALIK AND RYOU! AND USHIO AND HIS GANG ARE IN THE HOSPITAL:dies: So much happened in this chapter.

Yugi: But you made Yami leave:cries:

Star: You'll see him again soon.

Yugi: When is soon?

Star: …………soon?

Yugi:clings to Yami: That's to far!

Star: Hope to see you at the next update!


	7. The Day After

Star: Hola people! How is you today?

Yami: 'How is you?'

Star: Don't comment on my grammatical errors today! I'm slightly hyper from Skittles, and I can't wait till tomorrow so I can play Infected on my friend's PSP. **INFECTED KICKS BUTT!**

Yugi: But you only got to level 9.

Star: BECAUSE SANTA AND FAT CHINESE MEN KEPT KILLING ME! DEATH TO THEM ALL! But seriously, everyone should go play Infected. You'll get addicted.

Anyway, here is chapter 7 of Bright Shadows. I hope you guys didn't get too annoyed waiting for an update. Hope you like it!

**P.S. check the bottom author notes for a special request from me.**

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

"Speech"

'thoughts'

"**shadow language**'

-----------The Day After----------

In a certain country, in a certain city, in a certain palace, in a certain bedroom lay a certain man who was currently sleeping on his stomach, a bit of drool falling from his mouth. His large, black, feathered wings lay spread on top of his back, the left wing covered in a few glowing talismans as their magic slowly healed the wounded appendage. Sunlight started to stream in from the windows, lighting up the room that belonged to the King of Shadows.

The room was incredibly well furnished. A king sized bed with four posts was on the left when one entered the room, with red and white silk sheets and large, matching pillows. A bedside table was on each side of the bed, and a lamp hung from the wall above them. A beautiful oriental rug was in front of the bed, reaching to the other side of the room, while the rest of the floor was dark wood. A small glass table was in the middle of the room, surrounded by two white chairs and a white couch. On the other side of the room was a cherry wood dresser, a glass case that held weapons and trophies, and a bookcase. To the right was a door that led to a large walk in closet, and on the left was a door that led to a bathroom. Above the two dressers was a large mirror, a few pictures and a painting of him, his mother, and his father. The mirror shone with light that came from the three ceiling to floor windows that were across the room from the entrance. The windows were covered by crimson velvet curtains. To the left of the windows, right next to the bed, was a large entertainment system with CD cases and videogames littered about, and a red bean bag chair right in the middle of the mess. A room fit for the teenage King, Yami.

Yami let out a soft groan as he twisted his head to the other side to avoid the sunlight that was beginning to shine on the bed from the mirror's reflection. As he did that the bed sheets slid down his body, revealing his bare torso which shone like bronze in the light. Shifting again when he felt someone enter the room, he reached down and pulled the sheets back up as far as he could without covering his wings. He really didn't want to move from the bed, as he was incredibly comfortable. It was warm in there, and the sheets were so soft against his skin. There was no way he was going to get up for anything or anyone.

But whoever entered the room seemed to have different plans for the Shadow King as they pulled open the curtains the whole way, allowing the accursed sun to burst in and ruin his happiness. Yami squeezed his eyes shut and tried to curl up in a ball as best he could. "Damnit," he groaned out, "Go away, Yugi. It's too early and I'm tired."

"Yugi, huh?" said a deep voice from behind him. At hearing the person speak, Yami sat up and turned around to meet teasing, green eyes. "Isn't that the name of the kid you were staying with?"

"Otogi? What are you doing here?" Yami asked in confusion before he looked around the room. Wait…this wasn't Yugi's room. This was his room. Which meant that he really was back at the palace. How could he have forgotten last nights events?

"Well, that's a fine way to greet someone after you haven't seen them in five months," said the other. This male that was standing in front of him was eighteen, about as tall as Seto with pitch black hair that he always kept in a ponytail, bright green eyes that glowed like emeralds, and a dice earring in his left ear. He wore a black shirt and a red jacket with white swirls over it, tan pants and black boots. A white and black bead necklace completed his outfit. "Well, aren't you going to say something?"

"Sorry. It's just I'm still getting used to being back here," Yami said as he glanced at his wings. They definitely felt better now that proper healing magic was being used. Not that they didn't feel good when Yugi treated them. Yami was a bit sad at that, because he had enjoyed teasing Yugi whenever he had to loop his arms around Yami's waist to wrap them. And he really missed the feeling of Yugi petting his wings. Actually, he just plain missed Yugi.

"Didn't think you'd ever come back? Just be glad you came back in one piece. Who knows what could have happened if you had stayed any longer," Otogi said as he sat on the bed beside the young king. He had not known Yami as long as the others had, but he was very good friends with him, which is why he could be so informal towards him.

"Nothing would have happened to me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Yugi wouldn't have let me get hurt," the King said with a smile.

"You never know. He might have been planning to sell you to some lab, or something."

"Yugi would never do that. He isn't like the other humans. He's kind."

"It was probably an act. You know trusting a human is the stupidest thing one can do."

"So I'm stupid for trusting him?" Yami asked, glaring at the other Shadow teen who held up his hands in defense.

"I'm not saying you are stupid. But you know best that no human in this world can be trusted. How do you know that kid wasn't in league with others who would experiment on you then attack our cities."

"Because Yugi is a good person! I know he would never do that, because he doesn't want anyone to get hurt."

"It was probably a lie."

"That's enough!" Yami growled. "I will not hear anyone speak badly about Yugi! That boy saved my life, then took care of me for three weeks. To hear you talk about him like that is despicable!"

"Ok, ok! I got it. I'm sorry, my Lord," said Otogi, getting up and backing away from the enraged teen. "I won't say anything bad about him anymore. Promise. Now calm down, and stop moving that wing or it'll never heal."

Yami calmed down slightly, but kept sending glares at the other. He did need to stop stressing out so much. Too much movement will put his wing back in the same state it was when he first broke it, and he didn't feel like going through all that trouble again. But at least the first time, Yugi had been there to help take his mind off of it. The Shadow King sighed and leaned back slightly. 'I wonder what Yugi is doing now.' "By the way, Otogi. When did you get back?"

"A week ago," the teen said, grabbing a chair and sitting next to the bed. "I told those delegates that looking for you was more important than listening to their nonsensical bickering."

"I bet they were real happy to hear you say that," Yami said with a snicker.

"Well, you know how the French are," Otogi said with a smile. "But they understood and let me go without too much trouble. After all, the whole world was worried about you."

"Does anyone know that I have been found yet?"

"Are you kidding me? There are about three hundred camera crews from all around the world here. They all want to talk to you, but the guards are holding them back saying you need your rest. But don't worry. If they storm the palace, I have a helicopter on standby, and a few Mimic clones ready to distract them."

"A brilliant plan. It's no wonder Bakura made you general of his Special Ops. squad," Yami replied with a chuckle.

"Might wanna stop before you inflate his ego anymore," a voice said from the door way. The two turned to see Bakura and Marik standing there with smirks on their faces.

"No one is as egotistical as you two," Otogi spat at them.

"I second that," Yami said with a nod.

"Hahaha. Very funny," said Bakura. "But just remember who is above you."

"And you remember who is above you," Yami commented, earning him a glare from the silver haired teen. "How is everything?"

"Hectic now that the whole world knows you are back and relatively unharmed," Marik said, sighing as he ran his hand through his unruly blonde locks. "Those reporters are insane. They keep asking to talk to you, and won't listen to us when we tell them to calm down. They might really storm the palace just to get an interview from you."

"But I'm sure Seto is handling everything well," Yami said.

"Sure, if you call threatening to gas the crowd handling it well. But I think they are too scared of getting on his bad side to actually storm the place."

"But how are you feeling now?" Bakura asked.

"I can't really say. I'm not in pain, but it's not the best I've ever been. But at least all that's left is my wing. I can't wait till I can make these damn things disappear again. They've been such a pain."

"Well, you are lucky we found you when we did. If you had left it untreated for much longer, you might have had some serious damage. And all that wrapping that human did wasn't the best thing for it."

"_Yugi_ did fine," Yami said with a glare. He was getting tired of hearing everyone talk about Yugi as if he was just another human. Just because they didn't know Yugi like he did, didn't mean they couldn't trust his judgment. Yugi _wasn't_ another human, and Yami would try to get them to think of him a little differently. The least they could do was say his name.

"It was fine for holding it still, but it did nothing to help heal it. At least now you have healing talismans and doctors to help," Marik added.

"Yugi did help a lot! If he hadn't found me, I wouldn't be here right now trying to make you guys understand that he is a good person."

"Yea, well. Let's get off this subject before a fight starts," interrupted Otogi. Yami sighed and nodded. He really didn't want to start an argument about a person he would never see again. And no matter how many times he told himself it was for the best, he just couldn't help but want to see the young human again. He missed his friend, and had been extremely sad to leave. Though he didn't have a choice. Seto and the others had come to take him home, and he couldn't send them back. He had a duty as king to rule his people, and that came before his personal life. It was a great sacrifice, but it needed to be done. But now it felt as if there was a giant hole in his heart that throbbed with loneliness.

'I wonder if Yugi misses me as much as I miss him.'

-------------------------

Back in the town of Domino young Yugi lay sleeping in his bed, the bed sheets curled around his body in a cocoon. On his cheeks were dried tear tracks, and his pillow was damp from said tears. A gentle breeze came in through the open window and brushed against his face and, in reaction, Yugi sighed softly and opened his eyes. The usually bright amethyst orbs were now dull and filled with sadness, his eyes still a little red and puffy from all the crying he did last night.

He slowly sat up with a yawn, the sheets pooling at his waist, revealing that he had never changed into pajamas. Yugi rubbed at his cheeks when he felt the stiffness of the skin where the tears had run and groaned. He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to have to remove traces of his sorrow. He just wanted Yami back.

Watching the other leave last night was one of the hardest things he had ever had to endure. He had made a wonderful friend during that week, a friend for whom he harbored feelings for. But like everything else precious to him, Yami was taken away by a cruel twist of fate. That was just his luck. And to add to his bad luck, he would never see Yami again.

'I knew he would have to leave eventually, but I never knew it would be so soon. I wish I could have spent more time with him. No, I wish I hadn't fallen in love with him. Then it wouldn't be so painful to have him gone.'

Yugi groaned and got up, slowly walking out of his room to the bathroom. He needed a long, hot shower. 'But,' he continued to think as he turned on the faucet, 'at least now he is safe. Now he can get the care he needs for his wing. I hope it gets better soon. I could tell he was becoming stressed with not being able to fly.'

Yugi then took off his clothes, looking at himself in the mirror. He no longer had bandages covering his body thanks to Yami's healing powers. But he did have a few cuts and bruises from his last encounter with Ushio. But at least he had gotten away with just that. If he didn't have that bracelet…well…it was best not to think of what might have happened. No need to pile more things on his bad mood. 'Hopefully none of these will scar. Then it will be impossible for someone not to notice.'

'But enough about me. I just hope everything is fine with Yami. He must be so happy to be back home after all that time. Hopefully, he won't have to deal with those bad people again. Yami doesn't deserve that trouble. For now, though, I just want him to get better. For his wing to heal.' Yugi stepped into the shower and sighed happily when the warm water touched his skin, and he felt slightly better. 'Now that I think about it, he promised to take me flying when his wing healed. Guess he'll have to go back on that promise. But, I'm glad that I got the chance to feel them.'

The teen shook his head, spraying water around. 'I shouldn't dwell on the past. I need to move on, and aim for things in my future. It won't do me any good to pine for things that will never be.' But he still felt empty inside. As if a part of him had been taken away the second Yami went through that window. No matter how much he told himself Yami had to leave, deep down he wanted the Shadow to stay forever. To be with him forever, and maybe one day think of him as more than a friend.

Yugi rolled his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair. Yea, that'll happen. As soon as pigs fly. 'What am I thinking? I must be the biggest fool in the world, if I believe in that dribble. We will never be together, even if Yami hadn't left. He'd only think of me as a friend.' Yugi reached down and turned off the water, then stepped out of the bath. He looked at the foggy mirror over the sink and saw his outline. With the reflection clouded, it was hard to tell who was standing in front of the mirror. Yugi blinked, then walked up to the skink and leaned close to the mirror. He still could barely make out his features.

His left hand moved slightly, and when Yugi heard a clink, he looked down. He smiled when he saw the silver bracelet on his wrist. He brought his wrist up to his eyes, and gazed at the bracelet. It was so beautiful and delicate. There were about ten thin strands that looped over and under each other. Kind of like a braid, only none of the strands touched each other. And there was no point where it started. No beginning and no end. It was amazing, and Yugi absolutely loved it.

The teen then lifted his gaze back to the mirror. It was still completely fogged over, not a single detail to be seen. For all the world, the person in front of him could be Yami. Yugi closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. 'Yami,' was his one fleeting thought before he leaned in closer and pressed his lips against the mirror. After a few seconds, he pulled back and looked at the mirror. It was still steamed up, every part except where he touched his lips to those of his reflection.

Looking at what he had done he suddenly felt anger flow through him, and he placed his hand on the spot and smeared it away. Turning away, the teen grabbed his towel and started to dry himself off. 'Damnit, get over it. It wasn't even anything serious. Just a little crush. What was I thinking, falling in love with him. Since when have I ever believed in love?' Yugi had never really believed in love at first sight, nor did he fall for the 'happily-ever-after' fairy tales that passed love off as something wonderful. He found love completely pointless, and always told himself he would never be dragged into it. And then Yami came and changed him completely.

'Just forget it. Loving someone only leads to heartache in the end. And me crying over Yami's departure just proves me right. Leave love alone, and I'll be fine.' Although while he thought that, he had to bite his lip to keep the tears from streaming down his face. Shaking his head vigorously, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked back to his room to get dressed. He was going to get over it. He would miss Yami as a friend, but he refused to mope over a lost love. After all, love was stupid. Though no one would think he thought that way, since he was always so happy and kind to others.

"Today, I'm going to have fun. I will not sit here and mope. I will move on, and that's final! I'm going to get over Yami." But deep down, Yugi knew he would never get over the Shadow. He knew that Yami had captured his heart, and nothing he could do would make him forget that amazing person. 'Damnit, Yami. What have you done to me? Now I can't stop thinking of you. I guess I really do love you.'

"Hear me, Yami?" he whispered to the quiet house, feeling his heart break more in the silence. "I really love you. I can't stop myself, and I can't deny it. Are you happy? You stole my heart, and took it with you. You should be ashamed, making me cry so much over you. Stupid, spoiled, lazy King. How dare you make me love you."

Yugi covered his eyes with his hand, and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. He then grabbed his cell phone and headed downstairs to the living room. Pressing a number on the key pad, he watched as the phone automatically dialed Jou's number.

"Moshi Moshi," came Jou's sleepy voice.

"Ohayo Jou," Yugi replied, trying very hard to keep his voice steady. He was just so drained emotionally.

"Yug'? What's wrong? Why ya calling so early?"

Looking over at the clock, Yugi's eyes widened when he realized that it was only 7:19 in the morning. "Gomen, Jou. I didn't know it was so early. I'll call later."

"No, wait. It's fine, really. But what's wrong? Ya sound…I dunno…sad, or something'."

"I guess I'm just a little…lonely," Yugi replied, bringing his left wrist up to his chest, and placing the bracelet against his heart.

"Ah. Well, gramps has been gone for almost a month. It's natural for ya ta feel lonely."

"Yea, I guess." 'But grandpa isn't the reason why I feel like this.'

"By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm better, but I'm completely bored."

"Really? I would think ya would be sleeping," Jou said with a chuckle.

"Yea, sorry for calling so early. I know how you love to sleep late."

"It's fine, man. Don't worry, ok. Now about you being bored. If ya want I'll come ova."

"No, it's ok. You can go back to sleep," Yugi said as he sat down on the couch, only to feel something hard under him. He got back up and reached under the pillow to see the baby picture of him that Yami was so obsessed over.

"Naw, I can't sleep anymore anyway. Too hot."

Yugi didn't answer because he was thinking back on the times that he and Yami had fought over the picture. 'He was crazy for this picture. Maybe I should have given it to him. That way, he wouldn't…he wouldn't forget me.'

"Yug'? Hey, Yugi…Yugi, you dere?"

"Huh? Oh. S-sorry, Jou. I was j-just thinking of so-something." 'Damnit, why the hell am I crying again?'

"Yugi, are you crying?"

"No, I'm just…I'm fine."

"Liar! Why are ya crying? Did something happen? Did someone hurt ya?"

"Jou, I'm fine, I swear. I'm just…a little exhausted. Grandpa has been gone for so long, and then things always seem to go wrong, and I just really need time to clear my head, you know?"

"Yea I do. Which is why I'm gonna come over right now."

"But…why?"

"What better way to get rid of all your troubles than by spending time with your friends? I'll call the others, and we'll spend the whole day with you."

"Jou, you really don't have to. I'm sure the others have plans," Yugi said, sitting back down on the couch while holding the picture frame to his chest.

"Well, I don't. So either way, you'll be spending the whole day with a friend. And don't try to get out of it, because you can't."

"Jou…" Yugi was touched. Jou wasn't his best friend for no reason. Under that tough, stubborn exterior was a kind soul.

"Aw, come on! Don't start wit dat sentimental stuff, Yug'," said Jou with laughter in his voice. "Ya know dat embarrasses me."

Yugi chuckled and lay down on his back. "Alright, I won't. So when can I expect you guys to show up and bother me?"

"I'm gonna call da guys right now, and I'll be ova as soon as I get done."

"Ok, I'll see you then." Yugi then hung up, and dropped the cell on his stomach. 'Ok, I won't think of Yami anymore today. I'm going to enjoy myself, and not bother with him. I just hope I can do it.'

-----------------------

"Yami, are you sure you want to do this?" Bakura asked as he helped Yami pull a sleeveless, black, leather shirt over his head and wings. He was already wearing black pants, and black combat boots. On both upper arms was a silver band, and studded bracelets were dangling from his wrists. His eyes were outlined in black, and a silver earring was dangling from his right ear.

"Of course. If I don't then they will never leave, and they will keep being a pest," Yami replied as he walked to his dresser and picked up a brush, drawing it through his locks. "Besides, I want to get this over with."

"Ok, but I'm warning you, they won't settle for simple answers," Marik said, bringing Yami a crown. The crown was a golden band with a large eye in the center, and a golden wing on each side of the crown. Yami took it and stared at the eye, before sighing and placing it on his head.

"I know," he said, turning around and walking out of the room, his three friends following.

"They will probably keep asking the most annoying questions," Otogi added.

"They always do," was Yami's simple reply as the three walked down the halls.

"They might ask where you were," Marik continued.

"I realize that."

"They might ask why you have the scent of humans all around you," Bakura said calmly.

Yami faltered in his step for a second, before resuming his stride. "I know."

"And what will your answer be?"

"That I had been on the border of a human city for three weeks, so the scent stayed with me."

"You won't be able to mention that boy, or else it will cause a great scandal," Otogi said as they neared the throne room. And as soon as they entered the room, a great cheer went up and cameras started to go off. The flashing and all the noises made Yami long for the quiet of Yugi's house.

"I know that. I wouldn't mention him anyway." Yami then walked to the middle of the room where a press table had been set up, and sat down in the middle chair. He sighed when he saw the amount of microphones littering the table, and all the cameras set up. It really seemed as if every news station in the world had come. Marik then sat on his left and Bakura sat two chairs from his right, and both gave him a thumbs up. Yami then looked to Otogi who was standing near the entrance and he too gave a thumbs up.

"You ready to do this?" asked Seto when he walked up to him.

"No, but what choice do I have?" Yami said. "I'm just glad there are bodyguards surrounding the table. I don't feel like having fanatics jump at me today."

Seto chuckled his head and stood behind the chair to the right of Yami. "You brought this on yourself," Seto whispered to Yami with a smirk, before addressing the crowd. "Attention! The King shall answer your questions one at a time, so be patient. He is also still drained from his ordeal, so don't try to pressure him into answering." The reporters immediately started asking questions, and again Yami wanted to be back with Yugi where it was quiet. Seto pointed at a man to start asking questions.

"Your Highness, what did you do the whole time you were gone?"

"I tried to avoid the humans as much as possible," Yami answered. "The whole time I was trying to heal myself so that I would be able to get further from the border to contact someone."

"Why did it take three weeks? Couldn't you have healed yourself faster?"

"I was incredibly weakened from the battle. I would always fall unconscious if I moved too much or if I used too much magic to heal myself."

"**Was there a moment when you believed you would never be found, Master**?" asked a female reporter.

"Not really. I knew that eventually someone would find me. I just had to make sure they could pick up my scent."

"Was there a time when a human almost found you?"

"Many times. I had somehow landed near a park, where the forest was the border."

"Is that why there are human scents on you."

"…Yes. That is why. Sadly, I can't get the horrible stink off."

"What are you planning to do now that you are back?"

"I don't need much rest, seeing as how the only thing that is still wounded is my wing. I plan to get back to my duties immediately. Right now, my priority is finding the group that attacked and arresting them."

"**Master, is there any knowledge of this group or of their reason for attacking**?"

"No," interrupted Seto. "The group has been in hiding, and we have gathered very little information on them. But we have been working on it."

"Are there any leads, or any people you suspect of being involved with the group?"

"That information is classified."

Yami sighed at hearing that. He knew what that sentence really meant. It meant that they had no leads and no suspects. They only had the prisoners who had not been killed in the battle, and Yami knew very well that prisoners never gave up information easily. Things would be tough now. He knew that eventually the rebels would act again. For the umpteenth time since he woke up he wished he was back at Yugi's where he didn't have to worry about being attacked.

And at least with Yugi, he didn't have to lie.

---------------------------

Yugi was still lying on the couch with an arm over his head when he heard the doorbell ring. He blinked and shifted, but refused to get up. The others would enter with or without him opening the door. And sure enough, a minute later Jou, Ryou, Malik, and Honda burst into the living room and surrounded him. Yugi smiled at them and was about to sit up when Malik tackled him, pushing him back on the couch.

"You're alive!" the Egyptian said happily.

"Of course I am. You didn't think an upset stomach would kill me, did you?" Yugi asked with a chuckle while petting Malik's head.

"No, but Jou was worried to tears."

"I was not! I mean, I was worried, but I knew you'd be ok," the other blonde said.

"Well that makes me happy."

"But are you ok?" asked Ryou, kneeling down next to the couch since there was no more room for him to sit on it, what with Malik and Yugi tangled up on top of it.

"I'm fine, why?"

"Well, when Jou called us all at such an early time saying you were crying your eyes out we got kinda worried."

"Jou!" cried Yugi.

"What? I neva said ya were crying your eyes out! I said dat ya were sad 'cause ya were lonely. If dey can't understand me, dat's not my problem."

"No, I specifically remember you saying that Yugi was depressed and a blubbering mass," said Honda.

"Jou, if I wasn't pinned down by Malik, I would so kill you now!"

"Would you like me to get off so that you can?" asked Malik with a smile.

"I did not say that! Honda is a liar!" Jou said, glaring at the other teen. "But that's not the point. We are here because Yug' needs to have fun and not be all alone."

"Right!" said Malik, jumping off Yugi. "Today is now officially 'Yugi's Day of Fun'."

"Does it really need a title?" asked Ryou.

"Of course it needs a title! What wrong with you?"

"Ok, fine," the British teen said with a shake of his head. "So, Yugi. What do you want to do first?"

"I can pick anything?" Yugi asked.

"Anything that doesn't end with us in jail."

"Damn! There go my plans of robbing the mall."

"Aw, that sounds fun," Malik said with a smile.

"As much fun as that would be," Honda interrupted, "Let's start with something small."

"Well…we could always walk around the mall," Yugi said.

"Aw'right! To the mall it is!" said Jou while grabbing one of Yugi's arms and dragging him down the stairs, the other three following. Yugi smiled as he tried to keep up with his taller friend. Today felt like it would end up in an interesting way.

"Yugi! When we get there, let's buy candy!" said Malik who was bouncing around the younger teen.

"Alright," Yugi replied with a chuckle. "I have more than enough money to waste. And because I feel generous, I'll buy you some."

Malik squealed in excitement and drew Yugi into a large hug, which caused many people to stare at them. "You are the best friend in the world!"

"I know, now please stop suffocating me."

"Sorry. But did you guys hear? Yugi is gonna buy me candy because he likes me best!" Malik said, sticking his tongue out at the others.

"Yug', do ya really think it's smart ta buy Malik candy? Ya know he's half crazy without it," Jou whispered to Yugi.

"Of course it's not smart, but it doesn't really matter, now does it?"

"Yea, it doesn't matter," Malik agreed, bouncing around again before bringing Yugi into another hug.

"Down, Marik."

"Did you just call me Marik?" Malik asked, letting go of the young teen.

"Uh…no. You were just squishing me so much, it came out like that," Yugi said quickly, hoping that would be a good excuse.

"Oh, ok." the teen said, before going off to cling to an unsuspecting Ryou.

'Damnit,' Yugi thought with a sigh, 'I just had to say Marik, didn't I? Now that's going to bring up certain thoughts that should be kept locked up. I knew I wouldn't be able to forget Yami. Not even spending time with my friends can keep my thoughts from wandering to him. And it doesn't help that Ryou and Malik look just like Bakura and Marik. Damnit, I just can't stop thinking about Yami.' Yugi lowered his head, sighed, then lightly bit his lip. He really didn't feel like crying in public. He had to try and hide his sadness from his friends. But unknown to him, the others had already seen. They exchanged looks of worry, and silently agreed to find out what was making Yugi so sad.

"Oi, Yug'! When we get to da mall we're gonna go to da arcade, and I'm gonna beat your little butt at the games, and then I shall be the greatest gamer in the world! Because I've been practicing," said Jou, placing an arm around Yugi's shoulders.

Yugi looked up and smiled at Jou. He could always make him feel better. "You're on, Jou. And loser has to buy lunch for everyone. But don't worry. I'll lend you some money. But remember I want pepperoni."

"I want a burger," said Ryou.

"Nachos for me!" Malik said.

"I want a pepperoni pizza too," Honda said.

"What? You people don't think I can beat Yugi?" Jou asked, and in reply everyone shook their heads. "Damn you all!"

"Jou, you suck compared to Yugi," Honda said.

"Now, that's not true," Yugi commented. "Jou is a very good gamer."

"Compared to a three year old," Malik said with a laugh.

"I swear I'll force ya ta eat meat if ya don't shut up!" Jou said, glaring at Malik.

"Eep! Yugi, Jou is being mean to me! Make him stop!" cried the Egyptian as he ran and hid behind the amethyst eyed teen. "He threatened me with meat!" Malik said as he pretended to cry.

"Now, Jou. You know better than to threaten a vegetarian with meat," Yugi scolded. "Now apologize."

"But-"

"Apologize."

"Fine!" Jou said with a pout, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry, Malik." 'Sorry Yugi won't let me kick your ass.'

"Some great gamer," Honda whispered to Ryou who chuckled. Jou then turned around and tackled Honda.

"I'll teach ya ta insult me, ya bastard!"

"They're at it again," Ryou sighed.

"Leave them," Malik said. "They'll either be arrested or give up when they get hungry." The other two nodded and kept walking.

--------------------

Yami sighed as he exited the throne room. After a two hour conference and another hour of meeting with his representatives for every other country, he was exhausted. He was just glad that he didn't have to deal with any work today. That's what he had his representatives for. Like little drone bees that worked for the queen…king, leaving him with nothing to do but sit back and hope that his hive didn't fall apart. If only he _could_ just sit back and be lazy, but sadly that was never an option.

'Damn, now my wings feel stiff,' he thought as he walked out to the gardens, and sat down on a bench that was before a hedge maze. As gently as he could, he flexed them before lying down on the warm bench. 'I don't want to move ever again. And damn to hell those who bother me.'

"Yami!" called Bakura as he walked up to him.

"Damn you to hell!"

"I love you too," the other Shadow replied with a smirk. "What are you doing?"

"Planning ways to kill you in your sleep for bothering me."

"Temper, temper, Yami. You really need to learn to be more caring towards other."

"Oh, shut up," the King said as he turned to lay on his side. "What do you want?"

"You know you shouldn't wander off alone," Bakura replied while sitting on the ground in front of Yami.

"This is my palace, and I can do what I want."

"But you never know. There could be another attack."

"There shouldn't have been a first one," Yami replied with a growl. "How the hell did they get through the barrier around the castle? It's up specifically to make sure things like that don't happen."

"The barrier was still up…sort of. It was as if someone had opened a hole in it. But who has magic strong enough to do that besides you, Seto, Marik, and I is a mystery. But it couldn't have been a group effort, because the guards would have noticed all that magic."

"So you are saying that it was one person who opened the hole? And couldn't anyone find where it started from?"

"No. It was as if it appeared out of no where. No one knows where it originated, who cast the spell, or how it got to the barrier. Which is why you shouldn't go anywhere without a guard," the silver haired teen said seriously.

"This is bad. If there is someone out there who has that much magic, then the situation is worse than I thought. And most likely that person is the leader of the rebel groups." Yami then sighed and sat up, running a hand through his hair and placing the hand over the eye on his crown. "Damnit, I'm not even safe in my palace anymore. We need to stop these people before something else happens."

"Don't worry. You know you can count on me," Bakura said.

"That makes me worry even more."

"Oi! I'm trying to comfort you, and you go and say things like that. What the hell kind of person are you?" Bakura said, glaring at Yami.

"I'm just saying what I think," Yami said with a smirk, stretching his arms above his head. A breeze came by and made his wings flutter slightly, and he was filled with a great urge to go flying. But the doctors said he couldn't fly for another week till the talismans completed their work. Damn stupid talismans and their slowness.

"Well, keep those thoughts to yourself," Bakura said, smacking Yami on the head. Yami yelped and held his head, glaring at the other Shadow who smiled triumphantly.

"You bastard!" Yami yelled, kicking Bakura in the knee. "How dare you hit the King?"

"You short freak!" Bakura yelled back, grabbing Yami in a head lock and giving him and pulling his hair. "Don't you kick me!"

"I'll kill you! I swear, I'll kill you if you don't let go!" Yami yelled, chewing on Bakura's arm. "I'll have you thrown in the dungeons for hurting me!"

"And I'll let the world know their King is an inconsiderate bastard who wet the bed till he was 7!" Bakura screeched while stepping on Yami's foot.

"I'll rip your head off before you can!" Yami cried as he kicked Bakura in the shin.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!" a voice cried out, and the two turned to spot a very angry Seto in front of them, a laughing Marik behind him.

"He started it!" Bakura and Yami yelled out at the same time. They then bared their fangs at each other and continued to argue.

"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" Seto yelled, pulling them away from each other. "You are worse than children! Just because you two are the youngest of us four doesn't mean you have to act like it!"

"At least they didn't do serious damage to each other this time," Marik said with a chuckle.

"'No serious damage' my ass!" Bakura yelled, holding up his arm for the other to see. "He bit me! Look at this! He even used his fangs!"

"You ripped out my hair!" Yami retorted, holding his head as he tried to stop the pain.

"I'll rip out your heart if you bite me again!"

"If both of you don't shut up," Seto said angrily, his eyes ablaze, "I will rip your tongues out and staple them to the wall!" Bakura and Yami's eyes widened as they hid behind Marik, and clamped their mouths shut.

"You are scary sometimes, Seto," Marik said with a shake of his head.

"These two need to grow up. But now I need to speak with Yami alone, so both of you go away." Bakura and Marik nodded and started to walk away, but not before Bakura hit Yami on the head again. Seto growled at him and Bakura ran away with a laugh.

"Bastard," Yami mumbled as he rubbed his sore head. "What do you want to talk about, Seto?"

"Bakura told you about what happened with the barrier, right?"

"Yes. I just don't know how someone that powerful could have been near and no one felt it."

"Maybe the reason they didn't react to that much power was because they were used to it."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that maybe…maybe it was someone in the castle who let the barrier down," Seto said, closing his sapphire eyes whilst he sighed.

"Are you saying there is a traitor here?" Yami asked, glaring at the other while crossing his arms over his chest. "Be careful in who you accuse, Seto. Because wrongly blaming someone can have serious repercussions."

"I realize that, but there is no other way that the guards couldn't have been alarmed at that power unless they were accustomed to feeling it. They only noticed something was wrong when they sensed the attackers approaching. They were unprepared for the attackers to break inside."

"And I assume you are already searching the grounds for anyone who might have had the power to do such a thing. Fine then, continue your search, but any suspect you may come across must be brought to me first. I will not have anyone punished unless I know for a fact that they are guilty. And any information must be brought to me immediately."

"Yes, Master," Seto said with a short bow. "Now, another thing we must talk about. That human boy."

Yami stiffened when he heard that. "What about Yugi?"

"We can't let him go on knowing of our existence."

"Yugi will not reveal us to the world."

"But, Yami, you don't know that. And besides, it is against the law for a human to know of us. You know Marik was right when he said you should have killed him."

"I realize it is against the laws, but I absolutely refuse to harm him, and I have told you that you are not allowed to hurt him either."

"But, Yami-"

"I hope you are not planning to go against my orders," Yami said sternly. "You know what happens when you disobey an order from the King."

"Yami, friend or no, he can't continue to know of us! We can erase his memories of the past month, and that wouldn't be a problem."

"But…" Yami trailed off. 'I don't want him to forget me. I'm fine knowing that he still thinks of me and still considers me a friend. But it would hurt even more if he forgot I existed completely.'

"Yami, you cannot put your friendship with the boy before the safety of your people! You are the ruler of an entire species! The humans have forgotten we exist and that is what keeps us safe. If it were to leak to the humans that we are still on this earth, they would start trying to kill our people again. As the King, it is _your_ job to prevent that!" Seto said, looking Yami squarely in the eyes, cool sapphire locking onto fiery crimson.

"I know damn well what my job is, Seto!" Yami responded, narrowing his eyes in a glare. "Do not think that you have the authority to tell me what to do!"

Seto just glared right back. "Well, as your advisor, it is my job to tell you what would be the best thing to do! You know, give you _ADVICE_. And right now, the best _ADVICE_ is to make sure that human doesn't know of us."

"I will decide what will happen, Seto. You may be my advisor, but in the end it is me who makes the decisions. And I will handle the situation with Yugi the way I see fit. And I am seriously tired of having the same conversation with everyone!

"Yami, you-"

"We are through talking, Seto! Leave!" Yami yelled.

"Fine then," Seto said, turning around and walking away. "I just hope that your feelings for the boy won't cloud your judgment."

'Feelings?' Yami thought as he sat back down on the bench. 'What feelings is he talking about? The only thing I feel for Yugi is friendship…I think.'

---------------------

"Yugi, lets play ice hockey," Ryou said while the group walked into the arcade in the mall. The amethyst eyed boy smiled and nodded, and the two friends raced off towards the hockey table. Malik and Jou hopped into a racing game while Honda played a fighting game. The three were determined to take the top high score which was held by Yugi who had the high score in every game in the whole arcade.

Over at the hockey table the score was 3-2 in Yugi's favor. Even though he was winning, it didn't seem as if Yugi was really paying attention. This Ryou noticed quickly. 'Something's wrong with him,' he though as he scored another point. This wasn't typical Yugi behavior. Missing school, calling Jou then crying on the phone, being very quiet, sighing a lot, and looking for the whole world as if he was tearing apart inside. Ryou could see it in his eyes. They were missing the energy and light, and looked completely empty, dull even. Like someone had snuffed the flame that made him shine so brightly. 'I have to find out.'

"Yugi?" Ryou called as he watched the puck fly into his goal, the score changing to 4-3. "Is everything ok?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," Yugi replied with a smile. "You better pay attention or I'm going to win."

"I could say the same to you," Ryou responded, scoring another goal. "You are distracted by something, and it doesn't seem to be anything good."

"Ryou, I'm fine," Yugi said again as he knocked the puck to the other side only to have it bounce back towards him. "I'm just taking it easy. You know, so I don't get sick again."

"I have to wonder if you really were sick," Ryou said, which caused Yugi to look up at him, a mixture of alarm and confusion in his eyes. Ryou just stared back, his light chocolate eyes unwavering and completely serious. They stared at each other for a bit before Yugi broke the gaze by looking down at the black puck that was slowly gliding across the field.

"Why would you say something like that?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Because you aren't the type to skip school for something as simple as a stomach ache," Ryou replied. "So the reason must be much bigger."

"Even if it was, I can't see why it would matter so much," Yugi said as he hit the puck again, sending it flying across the table.

"Because as your friends, we are allowed to worry about you. Things like this are completely opposite of your normal self, which means something happened. So what is it?" Ryou asked, hitting the puck away from his goal in a straight line towards Yugi's, giving him another point to make it 4-4.

"Nothing happened to me. If I say I didn't feel well, I didn't feel well."

"Did you know that Ushio and all his friends are unconscious in the hospital?" Ryou asked. Yugi gasped and looked up, leaving his goal wide open for the puck to fly in. Red flashing lights came on, indicating that Ryou had won, but he wasn't paying attention. He was looking at Yugi, the red lights illuminating his terrified face.

"W…what?" Yugi whispered.

"They have been in the hospital since Thursday. No one knows what happened to them, and the doctors can't figure it out. They just won't wake up, even though none of them are hurt. They didn't come to school yesterday. And neither did you."

Yugi could only stand there with his mouth agape, trying to find something to say but failing. 'They are unconscious? Yami's magic put them in the hospital. I…I didn't know that would happen to them. What if the magic had killed them? What if it hurts someone else? I…I didn't…I didn't know that would happen! How…how can I go on wearing this? I don't want people to get hurt.' Yugi reached down and clutched the bracelet tightly in his hand, wanting to rip it off but knowing he could never.

"That's a pretty bracelet you're wearing," Ryou said, walking up to Yugi and pulling his hand away so that he could see it. "Where did you get it?"

Yugi jerked his hand away and hid it behind his back. 'I can't let the others get close to it. What if it thinks they are a threat? What if they get hurt too?' "It…it belonged to my mom," Yugi lied, hoping that Ryou wouldn't ask anymore.

"I see," Ryou said, but the look in his eyes told Yugi that he didn't believe him for a second. "So why did you start wearing it Thursday?"

Yugi inwardly cringed. He hadn't thought that anyone had noticed his new accessory. He always wore bracelets, so why did this one stand out to the British teen? "Because I felt like it," he responded, turning to walk away.

"Where did you get it, Yugi?" Ryou asked again. "Or better yet, who gave it to you?"

"I don't have to tell you everything, Ryou," Yugi replied angrily. "My answer should satisfy you."

"Well it doesn't," the silver haired teen said, grabbing Yugi's arm and spinning him around. "You have been acting strangely this week. Monday you are normal. Tuesday you're incredibly happy. Wednesday you start to act a little weird. Thursday you start to become quiet, Friday you skip school. And today you are even more quiet and extremely defensive."

"I am not being defensive!"

"What made you skip school yesterday? Why are Ushio and his friends in the hospital? Who gave this to you? And why do you look as if your heart has been broken?" Ryou asked softly, his eyes pleading Yugi to trust him. Yugi sighed and looked away, wanting to cry for the rest of his life. Why was Ryou asking him all these questions? Wasn't it bad enough that he had lost Yami? Why was he forced to endure such hardships? Did the gods hate him that much?

"I can't answer you, Ryou," Yugi whispered. "Please don't ask me anymore."

"But, Yugi," Ryou said, stepping closer and placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"It's not just for me that I ask that of you. I…I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone."

"But why?"

"I made a promise," the teen replied, walking off. "I gave him my word."

Ryou watched sadly, his heart going out to his friend. It seemed as if bad things always happened to Yugi. His parents, the bullying, and now this new thing. What could it be that could cause such a change in Yugi. More like _who_. Who was this new mysterious male in Yugi's life? What did he do to Yugi? 'Yugi,' Ryou thought. 'Be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt even more. Don't give him your heart so easily.'

-----

Yugi walked into a bathroom and into a stall, leaning against the door. He gave a soft, shuddering sigh and covered his eyes with his hands. Why did these things happen to him? Why did everything good in his life have to end badly? Was he not allowed to be happy like other people? His parents, his first love; they had all left him. An emptiness seemed to be growing in his heart, one that would probably never be filled. He just didn't seem to have anything to hold on to anymore.

He moved his left hand and felt the cool metal bracelet tap against his forehead. With a growl he moved his hands away and glared at the bracelet. 'I knew this saved me,' he thought. 'I knew that this helped me, but I didn't realize the damage it could cause. Had I know that this bracelet had the power to hurt people like that, I never would have worn it. This is supposed to protect me, but at what cost? I don't want people to get hurt.'

With a determined stare, he began to slowly pull the bracelet off his wrist. But for some reason it felt as if the hole in his heart was getting bigger with each tug. As if he was being separated yet again from something precious. Which was true. This bracelet was the last thing that connected him to Yami. He didn't want to loose this last line he had with the King. Loosing this bracelet meant more than loosing a life. That was the sad truth. That he cared more for a piece of jewelry than someone's life.

'I can't do it. I can't take it off. It's the last thing I have of him. The only thing to prove that he really did exist, and that he really does think of me as a friend. If…if I took this off, I would no longer be able to love him. And I want to love him forever. Even if he forgets me, I never want to forget how much I love him.' He then slipped the bracelet back on his wrist, and walked out of the bathroom. 'I want to love him forever, no matter how much it hurts.'

The teen then walked back to the arcade where he spotted his friends at the entrance. Planting a smile upon his face, he approached them and tried to pretend that everything was fine. Jou spotted him first and waved at him. "There you are," the blonde said. "Want to have our match now?"

"Sure," Yugi replied, and the group walked back inside, and headed towards one of the games. He fell a little behind as did Ryou.

The two walked in silence for a minute, before Ryou looked over at him and said, "I didn't tell them anything. I'll wait till you are ready. But don't think the others will be as patient. They'll try more than I did to get you to tell."

"Thank you. And I know they will try, but I can't say anything. A promise is a promise," the boy said quietly.

"Well, whoever he is, I hope he he's special to you."

"…Yea. He is."

----------------

After a few hours of being pestered and constantly watched over, Yami decided to go up to his room where he could be by himself. He hadn't had a moment of peace since he woke up, and he was becoming annoyed. Yami didn't want to see anyone for the rest of the night. He needed sleep and bad. So he climbed up the stairs, and walked down the halls, and finally made it to his room where he happily collapsed on the bed.

He curled up in a ball on top of the sheets, content to just lay there on the cool silk. It really felt good against his warm skin and even better on his wings. Like tiny, soft caresses against them…sort of like when Yugi would pet his wings. Soft, gentle, comforting. Extremely pleasurable. Just thinking of it made his wings twitch with need. They ached to be touched again by those delicate hands. To be pet and stroked for ever and ever.

Yami groaned and rolled to his stomach. Great, now he couldn't stop thinking of Yugi petting his wings. Which meant he would be thinking about and craving for that wonderful feeling he was given. But he would never be able to feel like that again, since he was no longer with Yugi. Life just sucked that way.

The teenage King let out a long sigh, the air gently blowing his bangs away from his eyes before they landed softly on his cheeks. He wasn't up to brushing them away, so he just let the hair stay where it fell. Letting out another sigh, Yami rolled to his left side to stare out the window and up at the afternoon sky. 'I wonder what Yugi is up to now,' he thought, and a lonely feeling crept over him. He had nothing to do, no one to talk to. Sure he was surrounded by people who would give their right arms just to have a private conversation with him, and sure he had great friends who would spend time with him, but it wasn't the same. Nothing seemed the same anymore now after leaving Yugi.

'Who would've thought that I would miss him so much,' thought Yami as he got up, and opened the middle window and walked out to a large balcony. Leaning against the rail he looked out at the gardens, and could catch the sun shining off of the lake. The sky was slowly turning pink as it neared mid afternoon. A gentle breeze came by, blowing the sweet scent of flowers to Yami. The Shadow closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling a bit more relaxed than before. But the feeling of loneliness didn't disappear. 'I wish I could go back and see him one more time, but that'll never happen. Even if this wing was working properly, going to see him would just bring trouble to us both. And I don't want him caught up in anything that is going on with my people. Leaving him was for the best…I guess.'

"But I really want to see him again," he whispered. With a sigh he sat on the ground and placed his forehead against the cool metal bars. "I want to make sure he's happy, and that he's safe. I just…I don't understand this. Why do I want to be with him so much? Why does it feel as if my heart has been ripped in half? I care for him, but…just how much? Do I like him as more than just a friend? Do I…could I be in…no! I can't! I can't have these feelings for him!" With a groan he banged his head against the metal bars. He then turned around and placed his back on the bars, and curled up in a ball, bringing his knees to his chest, and wrapping his arms around his legs. His right wing curled around his body, and his left rested gently against the railing.

'This is tearing me up inside! What do I feel for him? He is my friend, but I…I want more. I want so much more than friendship from him.' Looking up at the sky, he spotted a few faint stars in the darkening sky, and groaned again. Covering his eyes with his right hand, he whispered, "Yugi, I think…I think that…I might actually…love you. What do I do? Yugi, please tell me. What should I do?"

--------------------

"Yugi!" Jou called, running up to the shorter teen. "What are you looking at?"

"Huh? Oh, just this," Yugi said, pointing to a figurine in a window of a store.

"I didn't think you liked this kind of stuff," the blonde said, looking at the statue. It was a male demon with large, black, feathered wings. The male was very handsome, with pale white skin, long, black hair, and dark blue eyes. A long, black robe covered it's body, and it's right arm was raised to the sky, a saddened look on it's face.

"I think it's nice," Yugi replied. "I especially love the wings."

"But why would you want a statue of a demon? Demons are evil monsters. Their wings are black from the ashes of the fires of Hell, you know."

"I think black wings are beautiful," Yugi said, narrowing his eyes. "Just because he's a demon doesn't mean he's evil. And it doesn't mean he is a monster."

"All right, all right. Don't get so worked up over a statue," Jou said with a laugh. "Now come on. Let's get to the food court so that I can spend all my money buying you guys food."

"I'll lend you some money if you need it," Yugi replied.

"No way! Because then I'll feel the need to pay you back, and then you will say, 'No, Jou. I don't want you to pay me back. I did it because you are my friend.' And then I'll feel even worse about not paying you back."

"But, Jou-"

"No! I'm paying, and that's final! Though…you might have to lend me five bucks."

Yugi rolled his eyes and smiled, then pulled out his wallet and grabbed a few bills. "Will this cover it?"

"Yup! And I swear, I'll pay you back." Jou then ran off to stand in a line for one place, and Yugi walked over to the table where the rest of his friends were sitting.

"Hey, Yugi! Took you long enough to get here," Honda teased.

"Sorry, I was looking at something," Yugi replied, sitting next to Ryou. "And…I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Really? But we've only been here a few hours," Malik said. He then placed a hand on Yugi's forehead. "Maybe you are still a bit sick."

"No, I'm fine. And it was just a stomach ache," Yugi replied, pulling away. He caught Ryou's gaze from the corner of his eye, then quickly looked away. He really couldn't deal with this topic again. He was worried enough with just Ryou knowing that he really wasn't sick, and that he was keeping a big secret from everyone.

"Then you shouldn't be eating something like pizza," Honda added. "That'll make it worse."

"Well…I…I just-"

"Malik," Ryou quickly interrupted. "Didn't you say something about your sister coming here?"

"Oh ya!" the Egyptian teen said, bouncing around happily. "Isis is coming to visit in a week. I'm glad because I haven't seen her in four months."

"How long will she be staying?" Yugi asked, extremely grateful that Ryou had changed the subject.

"Two weeks."

"Who is staying two weeks?" Jou asked as he came up to them, carrying a tray of nachos, two pizza slices, and three drinks.

"Isis," Malik said.

"Really? That's cool. Now I'm off to get the rest," Jou said, leaving them once again.

"I can't wait till she gets here," Malik said, dipping some nachos in the cheese and eating them. "And I can't wait till summer comes, because I'll be going back to Egypt."

"You'll be gone the whole time?" Yugi asked, taking a sip from his drink.

"If you're going to miss me so much, why don't you come?" Malik asked. "That way we can have a bit of privacy, if you know what I mean," he added with a wink.

"Wouldn't that be a bit like eloping?" Honda asked. "Leaving everyone for some distant place where you would be alone."

"Aw, and here I was planning a big wedding for us," Yugi said with a sigh. "And Ryou would have been my Maid of Honor."

"As long as I don't have to wear a dress," the British teen said with a chuckle. Jou then came back with three hamburgers and placed one in front of Ryou, the other two being for himself.

"Oh, you're talking about Yugi and Malik's wedding?" Jou asked, giving Ryou his fries and drink. "Did they decide to elope?"

"You know, it's not really eloping if everyone comes along," Malik commented.

"Not to mention my grandpa and your sister will have to come as well," Yugi added. "Grandpa would kill me if he wasn't invited."

"When is he coming back?" Honda asked.

"Monday, and I'm glad. I don't want to be alone in that house anymore," Yugi said, the last part coming out a bit sad.

"But you aren't alone," Jou said. "You know I would have stayed with you the whole three weeks if you had asked." The other three nodded in agreement.

"No, I was fine, until…I guess I just want some company again. It's been really quiet…since he left," the amethyst eyed teen said softly.

His friends all looked at each other worriedly, and a single thought flew through their minds, 'Who's '_he_'?' An uncomfortable silence took over, and for a few minutes no one said anything. Finally Honda broke the silence, unable to stand the tense atmosphere anymore.

"Oi! Jou, you got me the wrong drink!"

"Like hell I did! You got what you asked for!"

"I wanted Coke, not root beer! I hate root beer! Go get me a new drink!"

"I ain't your servant, you lazy pig! Get it yourself!"

"Don't make me get Yugi to tell you off!" Honda threatened, which made Yugi smile.

"I'm not getting involved," the shorter teen said.

"Yugi, make him get me a new drink!" Honda said.

"Yugi, tell him to go shove his head up his ass!" Jou yelled.

"Poor you, Yugi," Malik whispered into Yugi's ear. "You have to be always stuck in the middle."

"Eh, I get good perks," Yugi responded with a shrug.

"Yugi, if you make Jou get me a new drink, I'll give you all my pepperoni!"

"Yugi, if you tell Honda to fuck off, I'll give you half my fries."

"See?" Yugi said, and Malik and Ryou started to laugh. 'I'm glad I can spend time like this with my friends. If I didn't have them, I don't think I could ever get over this sadness. I'm so glad I have friends like these.'

A while later, the group decided it was time to head home, so they all grabbed whatever purchases they had made and headed for the exit. Walking outside, they noticed that it was late. Ryou checked his watch and announced that it was already after eight. The sky was already dark, and as there was no moon, it looked more like a thick, black blanket had been draped everywhere.

'Yami said the moon gave him strength. I wonder what he does when there is no moon. Or is that only when he is hurt or weakened?' Yugi turned when he heard Malik call his name, and he apologized for not listening.

"I asked if you wanted me to give you a ride home," the tan blonde asked.

Yugi just shook his head, and said, "No thanks. I'd rather walk."

"Are you sure?" Malik asked. "You know you shouldn't go off alone at night."

"I'll be fine," Yugi said. "Thanks for everything today, guys. It meant a lot. Goodnight." The he turned and walked away, leaving the others standing there watching him.

"Someone should go with him," Honda said.

"I don't think he wants anyone to follow," Jou replied. "He seemed really off today."

"He says he misses his grandpa. But that isn't the whole deal," Malik added.

"It's best that we don't pry into his life too much. If he wants to tell us something, he will tell us in time. Don't try to pressure him into doing things," said Ryou as he ran his fingers through his silver locks.

"Something happened to him this week," Jou said. "And if it affected him like this, then I want to know more."

"Let's give him time to get back to normal," Malik said. "And if that isn't enough, I'll have Isis talk to him. She might be able to help him."

"So we wait a week?" asked Honda. "That sounds fine to me. A week should do it…hopefully. Until then, I'll see you guys on Monday." The rest of the group exchanged goodbyes and went their separate ways, hoping that their friend would sort everything out soon.

-------------

Yami was still sitting on the balcony when his watch beeped ten. He shifted slightly, then lifted his head from it's position of laying on his arms, and looked up at the sky. It was so dark up there, yet at the same time it was shining from the lights of the city, the palace, and the bright stars. It couldn't be described as dark anymore. The light had entwined with the dark, and they were coexisting beautifully in the sky. Light and dark. Hikari and yami.

"If I am the dark, who is my light?" the teen King asked out loud. "Could he be my light?" With a sigh he removed his arms from around his legs and stretched out, a groan escaping when he felt his stiff limbs move. "It's late," he said, looking at his watch. "I should get to bed. I just know tomorrow will be extremely busy."

'Yugi should be getting to bed now as well. I hope he had a good day.' Yami then turned and walked back inside, taking his shirt off in the process. He then took off the rest of his clothes and walked to the bathroom where he decided to take a long, hot shower. He didn't have to worry about his wings getting wet, as he used a special magic to keep the water from reaching the feathers. 'Hopefully this shower will help me clear my mind.' He walked to the shower where he slid the glass door back and stepped inside. He turned on the two silver shower heads, which were opposite each other, and stood in the middle and let the spray hit him. Yami moaned in pleasure when he felt the hot water touch his skin, the water trickling down his smooth, tan body to pool at his feet then run down the drain. 'That feels so much better,' the thought, shaking his wet hair from his face. 'I should have done this from the beginning.'

A while later he stepped from the bathroom clad only in a fluffy white towel that hung loosely from his hips. He then stepped out onto the balcony again, and looked once more at the sky. It was half past eleven now, and Yugi should already be asleep, or on the verge of sleeping. 'I hate not knowing what he is doing. How will I know if he is safe or not?' "I've got it!" Yami cried, happy that he finally found a solution to his problem. "I'll just have him under surveillance."

Yami then closed his eyes and stretched his arms in front of him, palms facing upwards. He then began to quietly chant a spell, and his body was surrounded by a black glow. Dark, shadowy tendrils began to crawl up his body and towards his hands, where they formed into two black balls. Once the balls had become the size of softballs, they exploded and in their places were two black birds. Yami opened his eyes and smiled at his work. The birds looked like black doves, with two very long tail feathers and crimson eyes. They were his messenger birds (1) but now he would use them for a different purpose.

"How have you two been?" he asked them, gently stroking their chests. The two birds cooed and rubbed their cheeks against Yami's. The King laughed and let them perch on his arm. "It's been a while since I've used you, huh? But now I have a very important mission for you two." The birds cooed again and cocked their heads, as if to indicate they were listening. "See, there is this boy. He is very important to me, but I can no longer be with him to make sure that he is ok. I want you two to follow him and make sure that he stays safe. If anything should happen, come to me immediately."

The two birds nodded, and nipped lightly at his fingers as he continued to pet them. "Good to know you understand," Yami chuckled. "This boy is more important to me than anything, so watch over him." The doves chirped angrily and bit him harder. "Ouch! You two are still important to me, so don't be jealous. Now go find him. His name is Yugi Mouto, and he looks a lot like me." The doves nodded again, and then took off into the night, on a search to find the one their creator cared for.

Yami smiled softly as he watched his birds fly away, wishing he could fly along side them. At least now he didn't have to worry about whether or not Yugi was safe. His messenger birds would find him immediately and follow him wherever he went. So he would know immediately if something was wrong. It was the closest he could get to being beside Yugi, and he would do anything to make sure the boy stayed safe.

The crimson eyed King yawned then walked back inside towards his bed. He let the towel drop to the floor, revealing his nude body. The starlight shone into the room and bounced of the mirror, hitting his body in a way that made his golden skin glow. Climbing on top of the sheets and laying on his back, his wings spread under him, he lay there and stared at the ceiling. He didn't care that he was completely naked, because no one would dare enter his room uninvited.

Turning his head to the left, he buried his face in his pillows and took a deep breath, and frowned. 'Yugi's pillows always smelled of strawberries. How I miss that scent.' Shifting slightly, he draped his right arm across his chest, and placed his left near his head. He shivered lightly when a cool draft entered the room and softly ghosted over his body. Like tiny caresses all over his skin, sending chills down his spine. Yami gasped and arched his back slightly, the starlight glistening over his smooth chest, sculpted abdomen, and strong legs.

"Cold," he whispered, and pulled the sheets from under him and covered himself with it. A contented sigh passed his lips and he closed his eyes, wishing to bask forever in the warmth that had enveloped his body. Opening his eyes a crack, he looked up to the sky once more. Locking his eyes on the brightest star in the sky, he smiled softly and said, "Goodnight, Yugi," before closing his eyes and drifting off to the land of dreams.

------TBC-----

(1) The idea for the messenger birds came from Yami no Matsuei (American name: Descendants of Darkness) If any of you have read/seen the anime or manga, you should know about Tsuzuki's messenger birds made from fuda paper. For those of you who don't know the series (go check it out!) the birds are made from paper. They start out as origami birds, but when Tsuzuki blows air into it, they turn into real birds. They look exactly like the ones I used here, except the ones in Yami no Matsuei are white. I'm not sure about the eye color though. Don't own Yami no Matsuei. (p.s. Hisoka is the greatest! So is Tatsumi! Muraki must die! And Dan Green does Tsuzuki's voice! dies Dan Green does Yami's, Yugi's, _AND_ Tsuzuki's voice! That's just great!)

Star: Yay, I'm finished chapter 7! But I am very disappointed in how long it took me to get here. Granted I had that horrible summer with no internet, and then Hurricane Katrina came a week after I got back, but I was hoping to have at least more than ten chapters up.

But I'm going to work hard to get more chapters up before summer. I'm going to aim for three more, maybe four before the end of May. But that all depends on how much time I have.

Anyway, I have thought of a new story idea, but I don't know if I should put it up or not. The summary shall be posted in my profile, so please check it out. If people like the summary, then I'll start writing it. I just don't want to do something that will take time away from this, if people find it horrible or something. (Yes, I still criticize my writing. Wanna fight about it? Joke!)

I hope everyone liked this chapter! It took me half a month to finish only because I procrastinated, yet again. But anyway, I'll see you guys later! Please review!

_**Check out my profile for info on my new fic idea.**_


	8. A Missing Piece

Star: Hello everyone! (bounces in) It's Star and my plot bunny, Estafo!

Estafo: (bounces in)

Star: Did'ja miss me? Huh? Huh? Huh?

Yugi: Finally got back to the fic.

Star: I didn't take THAT long.

Yami: In three days it'll be a month.

Star: Leave me alone! I've been busy playing with Estafo! Bah to all of you and your impatience! But here you go! Another luverly chapter for all of youse!

Btw, the second chapter to A Mask over My Heart will be out soon.

Disclaimer: Don't own, can't sue.

"speech"

'thoughts'

---------A Missing Piece-------

Light streamed into the room through parts in the large, red curtains. A gentle draft from the open windows blew the curtains out of the way, making them dance gracefully in mid air before softly falling back down to brush against the wall silently. The sounds of birds floated into the room, a melody so soft and serene as to calm the soul. The sweet fragrance of flowers drifted into the room as well, a million exotic scents combined into one ambrosial perfume. It was as if the room had been transformed into a peaceful paradise, one that chased away the strains of life only to replace them with tranquility.

And in this wonderful paradise was Yami, sleeping soundlessly on his bed. The young king was lying on his back, his right arm by his head, and his left draped across his bare chest. Yami's upper body all the way to his hips was uncovered, shining bronze in the daylight. The rest of his body was covered in his white silk sheets. His head was turned to the right to avoid the light brought by the sun. The ruby and onyx spikes were tousled about, and his golden bangs stuck to his face, the tips moving slightly from his breath.

Everything seemed normal, but the biggest change that had taken place was that his large, black wings were no longer in sight. Yes, a whole week had gone by and they had finally healed completely, and Yami was extremely thankful when he was told that he no longer had to carry them about everywhere. Of course, the first thing he did was jump off the nearest balcony and test them. Oh, it was so wonderful to be able to fly again! To feel the air rushing past his cheeks and through his feathers. To feel the surge of adrenaline as he climbed higher and higher in the sky only to free fall a few seconds later, then repeat the process. It was the greatest feeling in the world, and to be able to take off and experience it over and over was like an amazing gift. Yami never wanted to go for so long without flying again. To have such a treasure be so close yet so far out of his reach was horrible.

And so, for the past week, he had been flying every chance he could. Even if he was going over documents in his study, he was floating in the air. But flying again after so long did take a strain on his wings and energy, and so he had been going to bed early these past days. Not like he minded. When he was in his room, he was away from the annoyances of the world. And speaking of annoyances, one was about to enter his room at that very moment.

Of course, Yami didn't know. He was still fast asleep, and remained that way when the door to his room opened slowly and a pair of eyes, filled with mischief, stared at him. A smirk appeared on the face of the intruder as a teenage boy silently slipped into the Shadow King's room, closing the door quietly behind him. Slinking around to the foot of Yami's bed, the intruder gazed upon the King, his eyes running over Yami's naked torso. Feeling as if someone was looking at him, Yami shifted slightly and his left arm twitched slightly. Watching this, the other teen's smirk grew wider, and he leaned forward slightly.

"GOOD MORNING!" he yelled as he jumped on top of Yami, causing the teenage king to awaken with a yell of his own.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, MARIK!" Yami screamed at his so called 'friend'. Of course, if Marik really was his friend, he would have left him alone!

"Waking you up, of course," the blonde Shadow responded with a not so innocent smile. Yami growled at him and tried to sit up, only to find that he had been pinned down by Marik. Looking down, he noticed that Marik was straddling him and that his arms were held down as well. With a sigh, he looked back up at the other and glared. Marik just smiled and shook his head, leaning closer to the King. "I don't think so, Yami," he purred, shifting his hips slightly so that the sheets moved further down Yami's legs.

"What do you want, Marik?" Yami asked as he tried to free his arms. Sadly, it wasn't going well for him. But of course, Marik was enjoying himself. After all, being able to have the King in such a vulnerable position was rare, so the teen wanted to get as much out of this moment as he could.

"I was sent to wake you up," Marik replied, grabbing both Yami's wrists in one hand so that he could have the other free to 'play'. Placing his free hand on Yami's hip, he started to knead the flesh gently and traced his fingers lightly in patters, hitting all the sensitive spots that he knew by heart.

Biting his lip, Yami continued to glare at the other, glad that he at least had a sheet covering him so that Marik wouldn't have him completely at mercy. "And why didn't a servant come do it?" he asked, pressing his nails into Marik's hand in an attempt to free himself. Again, it didn't work.

"Because I volunteered," the blonde teen answered, his hand now traveling up Yami's chest, the fingers barely grazing the skin which caused goose bumps to appear. Yami had to bite his lip even harder to suppress the chill that ran down his spine, because he'd be damned before he let Marik have his way. But things already seemed to be in Marik's favor, because the other Shadow just smiled and shifted his hips again, moving the sheets down even more so that they were now just barely covering his length.

"You came to bother me, and you know it," Yami spat, wanting nothing more than to stick his claws in Marik's throat. Normally, he would have been able to get away from the beginning, but Yami was never really a morning person. "And will you get off me!"

"I don't really feel like it," was the answer. "And besides," Marik continued, bringing his face down inches from Yami's, "You enjoy it."

"I would really enjoy dismembering you," Yami said as he bared his fangs. But Marik was unfazed. He had heard that threat so many times already. With a smirk he moved his hips once more, finally uncovering Yami completely. "Marik!"

"Temper, temper," the other teen said, tapping Yami lightly on the nose. Yami tried to bite the digit, but Marik managed to move it in time. It was placed back on the King's chest, and started to slowly travel downwards.

"Marik, I'm warning you! Get off!" Yami growled, jerking away from the hand. The second he was free he would definitely kill Marik. No hesitation at all! The bastard needed to die!

"Hmm…" Marik said, pretending to think as he began to slowly rock his hips. Yami's growl became louder, but the blonde really didn't care. "I think…I'll stay on."

"Marik!"

"You know," the teen continued, whispering in Yami's ear, "If you hate this so much, either get a lock or stop sleeping naked. But I don't think you hate it as much as you pretend."

"I hate YOU more than you'll even know," Yami said, tilting his head in an attempt to bite Marik. Yet again, he failed.

"I'd like to believe that, Yami. I truly would, but after all our nights together I just can't. So just shut up, and give in."

"I will kill you. I SWEAR I will kill you."

"Of course you will." Before Marik could say anything else, the door slammed open catching the attention of the two on the bed. The two blinked at Seto and Bakura who blinked back. Suddenly, Bakura burst out laughing while Seto groaned and hung his head.

"Marik," Seto said, trying to keep his temper, "I told you to go wake him up, and bring him down to the study. Why haven't you done that?"

"Because I was busy," Marik replied with a smile, continuing to move his hand down until it reached Yami's hip where it changed direction towards Yami's inner thigh.

"Busy molesting me! Bakura, I'll pay you to get him off!" Yami shrieked, thrashing about to try and remove the hand that was going too low for his liking.

"Well, I am mad at Marik for leaving me out of the fun," the other Shadow said with a mock glare at his friend.

"I'm sorry, Bakura. Would you like to join me?"

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

"I would love to!"

"SETO! DO SOMETHING!"

"I will do something. I'm going to go get an aspirin." The brunette turned and walked out, completely ignoring Yami's cries for help. With a sigh, he stopped and turned around, and walked back to the door. "But just to let you know, you have a lot of work. So when you two are finished harassing him, bring him to the study."

"Sure thing!"

"No problem!"

"Seto, I hate you!"

"And for gods sake, Yami! Take it like a man!" Seto yelled, before slamming the door shut, and storming down the hall.

"Well then, Marik. Shall we have some fun?"

"Oh yes. Let's."

"I HAVE NO FRIENDS!"

-----------------------

"Yug'! Hey, Yug'!" a voice called from downstairs, startling the named teen who was trying to get dressed.

"What is it, Jou?" he called back, slipping a red t-shirt over his head.

"You are out of chocolate waffles."

"But I just bought some," Yugi replied, putting on a pair of baggy, white shorts that had a red line going down the front of the left leg. "Did you eat them all?"

"Not jus' me. Malik an' Honda ate some too," Jou said, watching as his friend stepped out of his room and came down the stairs, stepping over the sleeping bags that covered the living room floor.

"I only ate one!" said Malik from the kitchen. "Ask Ryou!"

"It's fine," Yugi said with a smile. "I'll just have to go buy some later. Until then, is there anything else you guys would like to finish off? Soda, cookies, ice-cream?"

"Can I have the rest of your ice-cream?" Honda asked. Yugi gasped and ran in front of the refrigerator, blocking it with his body.

"NO! I was kidding! No one shall have the ice-cream! The strawberry ice-cream is mine! You can't have it!" he hissed. Honda laughed nervously and backed away from the fridge and the teen.

"You should know better than to take Yugi's ice-cream, Honda," came an elderly voice. Everyone turned to the stairs where they saw Sugoroku Mouto, Yugi's grandfather, walk down the stairs. The man's gray hair was tied behind a red bandana, and a few spikes framed the man's laughing purple eyes.

"Grandpa, he tried to take my ice-cream!" Yugi said, glaring at Honda who inched further away from the boy.

"I saw, Yugi. Such a horrible thing," the elder Mouto said with a laugh, walking past Ryou who was sitting at the counter eating a banana. "But if you are going to go out, there are a few things I need you to buy."

"Can I buy something for me?" Jou asked, nudging Yugi in the side gently.

"When do you never?" the amethyst eyed teen said, rolling his eyes.

"If Jou gets to buy something, then I want something too!" Honda said, and Malik and Ryou agreed.

"Guys," Yugi said, "This is for MY family, not yours."

"Come now, Yugi," Sugoroku said, chuckling. "They are family."

"Yea, we are all one big family!" Jou said, drawing Yugi into a bear hug.

"Ra help me if I had a brother like you though," Malik told Jou, who just glared at him.

"Well, we better get going," Ryou said. "Isis is coming later, so we need to be ready to meet her."

"That's right!" Malik said excitedly. "My sister is coming at noon! So let's hurry and go!" The Egyptian grabbed Yugi and Ryou's arms and dragged them downstairs.

"Here, Honda," Sugoroku said, handing the brunette a shopping list and money. "Make sure Jou doesn't get his hands on it. Or it won't be spent on groceries." Honda nodded and walked downstairs, followed by a disgruntled Jou. The two caught up to their other friends and the five began their walk to the supermarket.

"I can't believe it's already Saturday!" Malik said, bouncing around. "This week has gone by so fast!"

"It really has. I thought it would take forever, seeing as how we were waiting for the weekend," Ryou added.

"Yea," Honda said. "Who would have guessed an entire week had passed."

"I'm jus' glad I don' have ta go ta school for another day," Jou said. "Don't ya agree, Yug'?"

"Of course. I'd much rather be sleeping or playing games," Yugi replied, while glancing at his bracelet. 'This past week really has gone by so quickly. I barely noticed it. At least, I didn't notice when I was with my friends. But when I'm alone in my room…my pillows still smell like him,' Yugi thought, falling silent as he delved into his thoughts. 'I wonder how Yami is doing now. I wonder if his wing has healed yet.' With a sigh he lifted his head to gaze at the sky, his eyes following a bird as it flew about. 'It still hurts to wake up and find that he isn't there anymore. But…it's getting better…I think…I hope. Maybe it will never get better. I'm doomed to love him forever.'

His gaze drifted around lazily, taking in the people and things in front of him. But deep inside he felt detached from all of them. He just couldn't enjoy the day like everyone else. He hadn't really been enjoying himself since last Friday when Yami had been taken. But oh well. The past was the past, and he had told himself millions of times that to dwell on the past was foolish. 'Ok. Just take your mind off him. Just focus on today. Get through today, then focus on tomorrow. Go on like that, and it'll get easier to forget him. So…what can I focus on? Hmm…a lady riding a bike. A bunch of kids on a playground. A stray dog. Two black doves sitting on a pole. A boy screaming for ice-cream. Just a normal day in a normal, human life. No one knows about Yami or the Shadows, so why should I think about them either?'

"Yugi, are you listening?" Honda asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry guys," Yugi said sheepishly. "I kinda zoned off. What were you saying?"

"We were planning on having a small party for Isis at my place tonight," Malik said. "So we want to know what else we should buy besides chips and soda."

"Um…are we going to order pizza?"

"Yes."

"Well, then leave the rest to me. I know exactly what to buy."

"I knew I could count on you, Yugi!" Malik said, hugging the boy.

Yugi smiled and patted him on the head. "Of course. I am the master party planner, after all." Reaching down to his left hand, he began to slowly turn the bracelet around as he thought. He had discovered that doing this cleared his mind and helped him concentrate better. It was another way that Yami helped him.

"I thought Ryou was the master party planner," Honda said as they all arrived at the supermarket.

"No, I'm the master cook. Now, you guys go look for stuff, and I'll go with Yugi." Ryou then steered Yugi away from the rest and pulled him into an aisle. Yugi looked questioningly at Ryou but followed him silently through the aisles. The two didn't say a word as they placed items they needed into their cart. They walked down a few aisles, Yugi walking a bit behind Ryou. The British teen glanced at him then looked back at the item he was holding. Figuring he had put it off long enough, he placed the item back on the shelf then turned towards his friend. "So, Yugi. How have you been?"

Yugi looked up at him and blinked, wondering why he would ask such a question. They had seen each other everyday except Sunday. It was a strange question. Yugi reached down and began to slowly twirl the bracelet as he tried to think of an answer, when suddenly he realized why Ryou asked the question. "Ryou, I'm not going to tell you anything," he said with a glare.

"Yugi, I'm just asking because I'd like to know," Ryou replied. "I didn't say anything about the bracelet or the person who gave it to you."

"But that's what you really want to know," Yugi said angrily. "I told you last week that I wasn't going to tell you anything, and I mean it!"

Ryou sighed and ran a hand through his hair, saying, "Look, Yugi. I'm not trying to pry or seem pushy, but you have been acting differently this whole week. I've noticed, the others have noticed, and your grandfather has probably noticed as well." Yugi's eyes widened and he looked away. The last thing he wanted was for his grandpa to think something was wrong. "Can't you tell me anything? If not me, then tell someone."

"Someone like Isis?" It was Ryou's turn to widen his eyes in shock. "I bet you guys were going to make Isis talk to me," Yugi said, picking up a bag of marshmallows and tossing them in the air. "No matter what you do, I'm not going to say a word."

"Yugi, you can't-"

"I can, and I will. Why do you care so much? It's just a bracelet, and the person who gave it to me is just a…person."

"If it was just that, then there would be no reason for you to keep it a secret from the rest of us. Especially if that secret is causing you to act so strangely," Ryou calmly answered.

"It's not…it isn't causing me to act strangely," the amethyst eyed teen quietly replied, staring at the floor. Ryou frowned, and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder in an act of comfort. They remained like that in silence for a minute. "If…" Yugi continued, "If…I tell you that I miss the person who gave this to me, will you accept that?" He looked up at Ryou, his eyes shining with sadness and loneliness.

Ryou stared deeply into his eyes before asking, "Do you miss him a lot?"

"More than anything."

"Then I'll accept it…for now."

"Thank you." Yugi then turned his back on Ryou and pretended to be looking at a product while he tried to reign in his emotions. Ryou looked at the teen sadly before turning away as well.

---------------------------

Seto sat back in a leather chair that was next to a window. If there was one place that was constantly quiet in the entire castle, it was Yami's study. No one dared raise their voices in here in fear of getting on Yami's bad side. Luckily for the brunette it was not only quiet, it was empty. Marik and Bakura were sure taking their time today. 'Oh well. Better him than me.' Closing his sapphire eyes, the Shadow let out a soft sigh as he thought back on the past week. 'Things have been going well. Yami has been working hard to catch up, his wing has healed, and there have been no signs of an upcoming attack. And it seems as if he has finally forgotten that boy.' That human, 'Yugi', had been a major pain to Seto the past week. Yami would never let anyone talk of him, and if the conversation moved towards him, the King would either change the topic or he would walk out of the room. 'What does Yami find in that boy? He's just a human, like every other scum human on this planet.'

But thinking of Yami's stay with the boy made Seto think back to his own encounter with a human. That blonde teen that he met at the school. For some strange reason, the boy just wouldn't leave Seto's mind. Almost as if he had been burned into his memory for all eternity. His soft, blonde hair glowing like gold in the sun. Those warm, friendly, honey colored eyes. His lightly tanned skin. That kind aura that surrounded him. That cute way he cocked his head to the side. Nothing he did could make him forget that boy. Not even his favorite pastime, bugging Yami about all the mistakes he made, could push the boy from the front of his mind. 'Damn, I'm going to become as bad as Yami. Stupid human.'

Seto groaned and covered his eyes with one hand. He was pathetic if a short encounter with a human could have such an effect on him. He hadn't been in contact with a human in over four hundred years, and one teeny tiny conversation had thrown his whole world into disarray. And it wasn't as if he could do anything about it. Seto couldn't just go back to the human city, search for that boy and yell at him for causing his every waking moment to be spent thinking about him. Though it would provide amusement for…oh…thirty seconds. What was that phrase Yami used all the time? Life just sucked that way.

A loud 'thunk' down the hall caught his attention, making him forget for a moment about the boy. Hearing the noise again, Seto started to get up when he realized that, either way, that noise would be coming towards him. Why ruin his quiet by going out to look? Sure enough, two minutes and sixty more 'thunks' later, a very annoyed and out of breath Yami burst into the room, Marik clinging to his left arm and Bakura attached to his right leg. Seto bit his lip in an attempt to quell his laughter, and covered his mouth so that Yami would not see his smile. "Yami, I believe there are things growing on you."

Yami shot him the evilest of glares as he limped/dragged himself and the others, who, by the way, were enjoying themselves, towards a black couch opposite Seto where he happily collapsed. "I…hate…every single…one of you," the teen King gasped out, burying his face in a pillow. Marik and Bakura took this time to jump on top of Yami, and they made themselves comfortable sitting on Yami's back.

"Well, you have work to do, so no goofing off anymore," Seto said, standing up and picking up a file from Yami's desk. All he got in reply was a mumble. "What?"

"He said 'fuck you'," Marik said.

"Could you two please get off of him so that he can work?" Seto asked, pushing the other two off of Yami. They groaned in annoyance, but complied, sitting on the ground in front of the couch. "Yami, get up. This is no time to just lie there."

"You could show a little compassion, you heartless bastard," Yami said, looking up at the older boy.

"It's your own fault. You really should put a lock on that door," Seto said, earning a chuckle from the other two.

"If I did, they would destroy my door then bother me even more," Yami replied, glaring at the two before getting up and going to sit at his desk. "Why can't you do this work, Seto?" he asked, groaning when he saw the mound of papers he had to go over.

"Oh sure. Let me sign the papers, and go to all the meetings, and rule the whole planet. That way you will have more time to be molested by these two."

"I like that idea," Bakura said.

"You would," the Shadow King said. He then placed his head on the top of the desk. "And just to make sure you two don't bother me while I work, I want you to leave."

"Aw, come on! That's no fair!" Marik said, and Bakura nodded.

"Too bad. I'm the King, so you have to do what I say. Go bother Otogi or someone else."

"You're no fun," Bakura mumbled, getting up and leaving. Marik stuck his tongue out at Yami before walking out, slamming the door behind him.

"I have such a headache," Yami said, placing his hands on his head. A soft, blue light glowed around his head for a second before disappearing.

"Welcome to my world," Seto said. "Now get to work."

"Don't tell the King what to do," Yami mumbled, picking up his pen.

-----------------------

Outside the castle, Marik and Bakura walked through the gardens, bored now that they couldn't bother Yami. Marik looked over at his friend and noticed that the Shadow was dressed all in white. "You going to visit her?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's been a while since my last visit," Bakura said, looking at the sky with a soft smile. "I was planning on going earlier, but bothering Yami seemed more entertaining at the time."

"But now your clothes are all wrinkled."

"She won't mind," Bakura said, fixing his shirt. He was wearing a long sleeved, white button up shirt, white pants, and white shoes. The first button on his shirt was open, and a silver chain necklace was shining brightly in the sunlight. "Well, I better get going. It's already ten thirty." His black wings burst from his back, a few feathers flying about. "If Yami cares enough to ask, tell him I'll be back at one."

"Sure. Tell her I said hi."

Bakura nodded and took off into the sky, heading west. He closed his eyes and smiled as he felt the wind whipping about his face, his silver hair brushing against his cheeks. Opening his eyes, he climbed higher in the air and sped up, hoping to catch a gust that would bring him to his destination faster. Finding an air stream, he stilled his wings and let the current carry him. He would have loved to just float there all day, but he wanted to get to her as soon as he could.

After a while, the Shadow noticed he was now flying over a hilly area. Turning to the right, he headed off towards a large hill. On top of the hill was what looked to be a temple, surrounded by a moat that connected to a stream that ran down the side of the hill. Trees and flowers lined the building, leading down to a path. As he got closer, he began to pick up the sound of voices and of animals. Flapping his wings harder, he sped up till he finally saw the people in the building. Bakura heard gasps of surprise and a few voices began to shout orders.

He slowly began to descend into the courtyard of the temple, looking about at the crowd of people that had gathered there. It was all women, all of them wearing white robes with a purple trim. Four women in brown robes and one in blue came to greet him when he landed. "Lord Bakura!" the one in blue called,bowing in front of him,while the rest of the women kneeled on the ground. "Lord Bakura, it is wonderful to see you again," she said. She had light blue eyes, and long, blonde hair.

"It's good to see you again, Reika. You're asbeautiful as ever," Bakura said with a smile, taking her hand and placing a kiss on it. The blonde girl blushedand looked at the ground with a smile. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine, my Lord," she replied. "How have you been?" Reika asked,leading him towards a pair of large doors.

"I've been better. Been stressed out this past month with looking for Yami."

"I'm just glad that the Master has been found. All the priestesses in the temple have been praying to the gods for his safe return. We are happy that they have heard us. But enough talk, you came to visit her."

"I just hope she's not mad at me for not visiting in so long."

"Nonsense! She is incredibly happy that you have come. She would never be mad. You are her nephew, after all." Reika opened the large doors and entered into a completely white room. The room was huge, the only furniture in there being two pews. An altar was on the other side of the room, and on top was a white marble casket. Engraved in the coffin were golden feathers that went all around the side, and a name. Above the altar was a large portrait of a beautiful woman. Her skin was as pale as the moon, and her silver hair fell in front of her face delicately. She had a soft smile that lit up her entire face. Even her eyes shone with kindness, but what was shocking was that her eyes were completely white. The woman was blind. The other thing that was shocking were her wings which encircled her. They seemed like every other pair of wings. Large, powerful, featherless. But they were white. The only white wings in the entire Shadow race.

"My Lady," Reika said, bowing in front of the altar. "Lord Bakura has come to visit you." She then turned and smiled at Bakura, bowing in front of him as well. "I shall leave you now."

Bakura nodded in thanks before turning to the coffin. With a small smile, he placed his hand on the cover and closed his eyes, feeling peace and comfort flow through him. "It's been a while, Auntie. Sorry I haven't come by sooner." A soft breeze blew by and caressed his cheeks, and Bakura chuckled. "I guess I'm forgiven, huh." He opened his brown eyes and looked up at the portrait. "Things are getting complicated. No one knows anything about the people who attacked that night. They could be planning another attack now, and we wouldn't know about it till it was too late."

Looking back down at the coffin, he traced a feather with his finger. "Do you know anything that could help?" Silence met him, and he smiled and shook his head. "Of course you can't tell me. That's what Reika is for. Too bad you can't talk to me." He then traced the letters of the name. 'A' 'I' 'N' 'E'. Aine.(1) The name of one of the most important Shadows in the entire world. Aine was born long before Bakura, when Yami's grandfather was king. Born blind from birth, she was treated as a special child because of her wings. And it was not only her wings. The gods took away her sight of the present and gave her sight of the future.

Aine trained as a priestess in this temple where she learned to harness her powers. She dedicated her life to serve the royal family, and used her psychic powers to warn of upcoming attacks, plagues, droughts, and was a channel between the Shadows and the gods. Because of her eyes, wings, silver hair and pale skin, she was known as The White Lady. Bakura was four when she died, and since then he had come at least once a month to visit her. Reika, the high priestess of this temple, was now the link between Aine and Yami. When Aine sent Reika a message, it was immediately told to Yami.

"Yami is back, but you probably knew that. Everyone is just glad that he is alive. If we hadn't found him things would have gotten worse. Can you believe he was staying with a human? And the human actually looked like him! It was more than weird. But the weirdest thing is that Yami wouldn't let us kill the kid. Yami should know better than to let a human who knows of us go free. But he said that if we hurt the boy he'd hurt us." Bakura continued to trace the letters of the name, before going to sit at a pew. "Then he gets mad at us when we tell him to at least wipe the kid's memory. It's like that boy has messed him up or something. Of course, Yami was always messed in the head. He's acting like more of a complete idiot than usual!" Another breeze came and caressed his cheek, and Bakura sighed. "So now we have two problems. The human knowing of our species, and those rebels who are trying to dethrone Yami. And that jackass refuses to do anything about the human! 'Yugi' is his name. Sometimes I just want to slap Yami."

Bakura remained quiet for a while, trying to calm down a little. Being in the presence of his aunt helped. She could always make him feel better. "Please, Aunt. If you know anything that could help us, please tell us. Yami's not just my King. He's my friend, and I don't want anything to happen to him. Not if I can help prevent it." But again, all he got was silence. With a sigh he shook his head. "It's getting too serious. How about I change the topic?" Again, a breeze came by and he smiled. "Ok. You won't believe what Yami did last Saturday. He bit me!"

-------------------

The airport was completely crowded at noon. So many people were getting off planes, getting on planes, waiting for arrivals, or crowding the luggage area. Saturday was a popular day for traveling apparently. And it was amazing how many people were waiting for the plane from Cairo to arrive. Among the large group, the five friends waited impatiently for the airplane to land. Malik was about to pass out from excitement. Jou had to hold him back from rushing through the gate. "Calm down, man. The plane hasn't even landed."

"Well, they are taking too long!" the Egyptian teen complained.

"Isn't her plane the one that just touched the tarmac?" asked Ryou who pointed out of a window.

"It better be!"

"Don't worry, Malik," Yugi said. "She'll get here in a few minutes."

"Sorry, guys. I'm just excited because I haven't seen her since Christmas. Look, it's pulling into the gate!" The five watched as the large air craft turned slowly towards the building, the white metal gleaming brightly in the light. It seemed like forever before the plane made it's way to the gate and stopped. The five fell silent as they waited for the passengers to start trickling out. Finally the first people made their way out. A man and two women. Then a few teens, a family, an old man, but no young woman with long black hair and blue eyes. "Where is she?"

"Don't worry. She was probably at the back. You know how long it takes people to get out of a plane," Honda said.

"Look! It's her!" cried Jou, and Malik immediately turned to the gate where he locked eyes with Isis.

"SISTER!" he cried, rushing past his friends towards her.

"Malik! It's so good to see you again!" she said, and the two embraced. They started chatting in Egyptian while the others walked up towards them. "Hello, boys," Isis said, turning towards them.

"Hello, Isis. How was your trip?" asked Ryou as the group made their way towards the luggage area.

"Just fine. Though I am glad to be out of that plane. I had to sit near a very disobedient little boy. Ah, the memories it brought back," she said. Malik pouted while the rest of the group laughed. "But other than that, it was fine."

"That's good," Malik said. "Which one is yours?" he asked, looking at the conveyor belt that was spinning the bags around. Isis pointed hers out, and Jou and Malik brought it down. The group then made their way out of the airport where they got a taxi and headed to Malik's apartment. They talked about random things as they drove along, till they finally reached the apartment complex. Entering the building, they all got into the elevator and headed up.

Once they got to the right floor, Malik rushed out to open the door to his apartment. It was a nice place, and pretty big for just one person. The walls and carpet were a cream color. Upon entering, there was the large living room. In the center of the living room were two dark brown couches with a white arm chair was between them. In the middle was a glass table. Mounted on the right wall, facing the couches, was a large, plasma screen television, an entertainment system underneath it. A large, mahogany cabinet was to the left of the TV, and a large lamp and plant were to the right. To the left of the cabinet was a door that led to a bedroom. To the right of the lamp was a door that led to a bathroom. The kitchen was on the left when one entered, and next to it was a bedroom. Two large glass doors that led to a balcony were opposite the entrance door. The reason Malik could afford such a place was because Isis sent him money every month. He also had special permission from the school to have a job, so he worked in a cafe part time.

The group entered the apartment and sat down. "So, Malik," Isis started. "How have things been going? Is everything well in school?"

"Of course! I'm a perfect student," Malik said, and the rest of the group snickered.

"Maybe in your dreams," Honda commented, and Malik threw a white pillow from the couch at him.

"Ok, so I get help from Ryou once in a while."

"More like everyday," the British teen corrected.

"Malik, are you bugging people to do your work for you?" asked Isis.

"No!" Malik yelled

"Yes!" the others yelled.

"Guys! Enough!" Malik said, glaring at the others. Isis chuckled and patted Malik on the shoulder.

"That's so typical of you, little brother. You always did try to shirk out of your work. Like the time you said-"

Malik yelled something in Egyptian, and Isis laughed. She replied to him in Egyptian, and the two started their own conversation. The others turned to Yugi who blinked at them. "What? I can understand some, but I don't think you want to know."

"Oh, did you hear the part with the water cooler?" Isis asked with a smile. Malik groaned and covered his face with his hands, muttering a curse in both Egyptian and Japanese. "Malik, watch your language."

"Yugi, I will hate you forever if you tell anyone. And you wouldn't want that," the blonde said, glaring at his friend.

Yugi laughed and shook his head. "I wouldn't tell anyone, don't worry."

"Ok, enough of Malik's psychotic past," Ryou said as he stood up. "Since Malik has completely forgotten his manners, I'll take over at playing host. Would you like something to drink, Isis?"

"Yes, thank you," she responded. "Malik is lucky to have friends like you. Otherwise he'd forget his head."

"I'm not that bad," Malik mumbled, getting up as well.

"Yes you are. But we love you anyway," Yugi said with a wink. Malik glared at him again and stormed into the kitchen.

"Yugi, the wedding is off!"

"I thought you were eloping," Jou whispered and Yugi just cracked up.

--------------------

"SETO!"

"WHAT!"

"How the hell do you expect me to work on this document when I don't understand a word they are talking about?" Yami yelled, throwing a stack of papers to the ground in his anger. Those damn Italians and their stupidity!

"Well, you should! That's why you are the King!" Seto yelled back, throwing the book he was looking at to the ground as well. They had been arguing for the past six hours over documents and treaties, and Yami had barely gotten any work done. The only thing he had managed to accomplish was giving Seto the largest migraine he had ever had.

"Well I don't! So either help me like you are supposed to, or shut the hell up!"

"You are the one yelling at me! And all they are saying is that they have passed a bill raising taxes to pay off the debt they owe Sweden, and they want you to approve it!

"Well, if that is all they wanted, they could have said it in simpler terms! This is a five page document! What the hell is wrong with them?" Yami continued to yell as he leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his hands. "Why couldn't they have called, or sent someone?"

"Yami, this isn't the first time you have dealt with things like this," Seto said, picking up the book and papers. "And you usually handle these things better."

"Well, sorry that I'm being so pissy," Yami responded sarcastically. "But usually I don't have to deal with so much shit in the span of one month, most of which I was unconscious."

"You also don't loose your temper so quickly. Unless it involves Marik or Bakura. You're just pms-ing."

Yami smiled and laughed. "Yugi said the exact same thing to me," he said, placing his head on his desk. "I got annoyed because he made me help clean out his basement, and there were hundreds of boxes down there. He kept teasing me about it too." Suddenly, Yami felt a lot better. He wasn't as stressed as before, and his mind seemed to become clearer and less fatigued. 'The healing powers of Yugi,' he thought, still smiling.

"You're very attached to that boy," Seto commented, flipping through the book.

"So what if I am?" Yami asked, becoming annoyed again. He refused to have another argument about Yugi.

"It's nothing. I just keep wondering how it is that you became friends with him so quickly."

"I really don't know," the King responded. "One second, I'm hating him completely because of what he is, the next we're goofing around as if we'd been friends for eternity. I don't really know when it was that I thought of him differently, but it was probably when I first talked to him. He just didn't seem as…horrible as every other human."

"You consider him a friend, right? Are you sure it's not just because he saved your life?" the blue eyed Shadow asked.

"What? No! That's not why. If it was, I wouldn't defend him as much as I do. I really think of him as a friend. Like I think of you and the others as my friends."

"You regard him that highly. But ONLY as a friend, right? Nothing more than that? You think of him ONLY as a friend, right?" Seto asked, looking Yami straight in the eye.

"What are you getting at, Seto? Don't start down a path you really don't want to be on," Yami warned, his crimson eyes narrowing. "He is only my friend, and it would be wise for you to remember that."

"I remember that. He is your '_friend'_, and '_only_ your friend'. But I want to know if _you_ remember that he is 'only your friend'."

"Don't start assuming things, Seto! Assuming things incorrectly can land you in a very dangerous position. And you _don't_ want to be on my bad side!" responded Yami, glaring at the other.

"I'll take my chances. You don't scare me, Yami! I'm not like the other jackasses that work for you, so don't think you can deal with me like you do them!" Seto responded, glaring right back.

"You are _really_ testing me!" Yami growled as he stood up. He flexed his hands as his claws grew out, and his fangs lengthened.

"And you just piss me off! So what will it be? Answer my question, or fight me?" Seto growled back. He stood up as his claws and fangs grew to full length as well. So the two stood there, ready to attack the other at a moments notice. The air in the room was incredibly tense, so tense it felt as if it could choke you. The two no longer looked like themselves either. It was more like two demons had taken their places, their urge to fight and shed blood rising to the surface. They even growled and snarled like demons, the pupils in their eyes dilating into a small black dot.

"How about I rip out your heart?" Yami asked, his voice low and menacing.

"I'd like to see you try!" Seto spat back. Yami growled and bent his knees, preparing to attack, when the door burst open and Marik and Otogi rushed in.

"What do you two think you are doing!" Otogi yelled, stepping up to Seto to hold him back from attacking. Marik did the same for Yami.

"Out of the way, Otogi. This bastard needs to be taught a lesson!" Seto said, trying to get around Otogi.

"You can't beat me, you fool! You never could, and you never will!" Yami yelled, jumping towards the other Shadow, but he was tackled by Marik.

"God damnit! Will you two calm down?" the blonde yelled, pinning Yami to the floor and sitting on him. The King writhed and snarled like a caged animal, trying to break free of the grip. "Yami! Stop it!" Marik said, slapping Yami's cheek. The Shadow stopped momentarily in surprise before he resumed his struggling.

"Let him go, Marik! I want to fight him! I've been far too patient with him this past week, but I'm through!" Seto yelled, struggling against the hold that Otogi had on him. "If he cares so much for that piece of shit human, then he should just give up his crown and go live with him!"

"Shut up, you fucking asshole!" Yami yelled, a ball of red light growing in his hand. He then pointed the ball towards Seto. "Don't talk about Yugi that way! You are the piece of shit, so don't talk as if you were the best! I'll swear destroy every last bit of you!"

"Yami! Stop it, for fucks sake!" Marik yelled, trying to move the hand in another direction. "Think before you act, moron!"

"Seto, you better leave," Otogi said, pushing the brunette towards the door.

"No! That bastard of a king thinks he can take me on, I'd like to see him try!" Seto yelled, pushing the other out of the way. The red light grew stronger as the ball enlarged.

"Burn in hell, asshole!" Yami yelled.

"YAMI, STOP!" Marik cried, clamping his hand on top of Yami's. The blonde Shadow screamed in pain as sparks of lightning flew from the joined hands. Marik felt as if his entire body had been electrocuted and set on fire at the same time. The pain was overwhelming, but luckily for him, he had used a protection spell. The others could only watch in shock as Marik writhed about in pain, his grip on Yami's hand growing stronger. Finally it was over, and there was silence in the whole room. Marik sat on top of Yami gasping for breath, his hand bleeding profusely. He then looked at the King and slapped him hard, leaving a bloody handprint on the other's cheek. "Y-you…idiot," he said, before passing out and falling to the ground.

Yami blinked, his pupils returning to normal. He quickly sat up and kneeled by his friend. "Marik! Marik, wake up! Say something! Guys, go get a doctor!" Otogi sped out of the room, and Seto slowly walked up to the others, collapsing to his knees next to Yami.

"Yami, he'll be fine. Don't shake him so much," the brunette said calmly. "He's already healing slowly," continued Seto, feeling the healing magic surround the blonde.

"That idiot! That complete idiot! What the hell was he thinking, grabbing the attack like that?" Yami said. "He could have died! His protection spell wouldn't have stood a chance if my attack had been stronger!"

"We were the idiots. We should have known better than to fight like that. _I_ should have known better than to push you like that. Sorry," Seto said.

"And I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time," Yami said with a sigh. "Friends?"

"Of course." Just then a group of doctors rushed in followed by Otogi. Seto and Yami got out of the way as they examined Marik's body for serious injury. Silently, they placed him on a stretcher and rushed out of the room to the hospital ward. "Don't worry," Seto said as he noticed Yami's worried look. "He'll be fine. You should be more worried on what present you will buy for him. You know how picky he is."

"Yea," Yami responded with a small smile. "He'll definitely want something expensive. Hopefully I can afford it."

"Most likely not."

--------------------

It was six in the afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to set. It looked so pretty from the balcony where Yugi was standing. The way the blues seemed to shatter into streaks of purples, oranges, and pinks of different hues was amazing. The top of the sun could be seen on the horizon, growing smaller and smaller as the moon became clearer. The clouds looked so soft and puffy, and a few flocks of birds still flew about. Two of them even landed in the tree across the street. 'So pretty. I wonder if Yami sees it the same in his palace. I wonder what it's like to see the sunset from the sky. It's probably even more amazing.'

"Yugi?" a voice called, and the teen turned around. He saw Isis standing at the glass door and smiled at her.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here by yourself?" she asked, walking over to him.

"Just thinking about something."

"Ah, I see. You wanted to be someplace quiet for a while," she said, motioning behind her to the apartment where loud music and laughter could be heard. "I do the same thing."

"Yea. It's nice to have some quiet once in a while," the amethyst eyed teen replied, taking hold of the bracelet and spinning it slowly. The two stood silently for a few minutes, just looking at the setting sun.

"Yugi," said Isis, turning towards him, "Is something wrong?"

Yugi's eyes widened before narrowing in a glare. "Who told you to ask me that? Was it Malik? Ryou?"

"No one," she said. "I've raised Malik since we were little. I have this big sister intuition that tells me when he's trying to hide the fact that something is wrong."

"Well, I've told the others and I will tell you. Nothing is wrong with me," said Yugi before he turned his back to Isis.

"You just don't seem like the Yugi I remember. It's only been three months since I last came to visit, and back then you were more open. More involved with the others. Now it seems as if you are distancing yourself from them. Did something happen?"

"No! Nothing happened! Nothing is wrong with me! Why can't you people understand that?" Yugi yelled. "Why won't people just leave me alone?"

"Because as your friends, we care about you. If something happened, we'd like to know."

"I can't," Yugi said. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Is it something bad? Yugi, did someone threaten you to stay silent about something?" Isis asked seriously, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No," Yugi said with a soft smile. "It's nothing like that. He would never hurt me."

"Can you tell me who this person is?" asked Isis. Yugi just shook his head. "Can you tell me anything about him?" Again, Yugi shook his head. "Well…can you tell me who he is to you?"

"He is…a very dear friend. One of the greatest people I have ever met, and someone I care deeply for," answered Yugi, holding the bracelet to his heart.

"Did he give you that bracelet?"

"Yea. He gave it to me the third day I knew him. I treasure it more than anything."

"So…where is he?"

"His friends came and took him home last Friday. I only knew him for a week, but it was the best week of my life. He was so…wonderful, and friendly. I never thought we would ever be friends, but then he gave me this bracelet and called me his friend. I was so happy when he said that. It's funny though, because when he woke up at my house, he threatened me with a dagger," Yugi said with a chuckle.

He sighed, then continued, "He was hurt when I met him. I took him home and healed him as best as I could, but his left…leg was hurt, so he couldn't return to his home. So he stayed at my house the whole week. I didn't tell anyone about him because he told me that if anyone knew of him, everyone would be in danger. I wanted to protect him, so I promised not to say a word," Yugi said, his eyes beginning to burn from a few tears.

"And you consider him a friend?" Isis asked.

"Of course! He wouldn't do a thing to hurt me! I would trust him with my life!" Yugi said, staring her straight in the eye. Isis looked deeply into his violet orbs, and saw how much Yugi treasured the mysterious person.

"You really do care for him," stated Isis with a smile.

"Of course I do. He's a wonderful, caring, thoughtful, kind person. I care for him a lot, and I really miss him. I wish he was here still," Yugi said, rubbing at his eyes to keep the tears from falling. "I really do miss him a lot. And it's because I miss him so much that I've been acting so different. I know that…" Yugi continued, choking back a sob, "I know that it was for the best that he went home, but I hate being without him. Even though I only knew him for a week, I care for him so much. Now that he's gone, it feels like there is a giant hole in my life. A missing piece."

"You care for him more than anyone else, right?" Isis asked, patting him on the back. "You love him." Yugi looked up at her in shock and the Egyptian woman smiled. "Big sister intuition."

"I…I do love him. He didn't know. He couldn't have even begun to guess, but it's true. I do love him. But now he's gone forever. I'll never see him again, and it really hurts," cried Yugi, a tear slipping from his eyes.

Isis frowned and looked out at the sky. She tried to think of something to say to cheer the boy up, but nothing came to mind. Watching a few birds fly by, she suddenly smiled and drew the teenager into a hug. "As long as you remember him, he won't really leave."

"Everyone says that, but it doesn't stop my heart from breaking," Yugi replied.

"But you know, I don't think he's really gone. His spirit lives on in that bracelet."

"I don't care about the bracelet. I want him back."

"Yugi, look at me," Isis said, gently lifting Yugi's face towards hers. "He hasn't really left. A true friend never leaves. You have him in your memory, and you have him in your bracelet. But that's not all. He's watching over you. He's watching you this very moment, I know it. He hasn't left you alone at all."

"I want to believe that. I really do."

"Trust me, Yugi. He's watching you, and you will see him again soon. So stop crying now, and smile for him." Yugi rubbed at his eyes again, and smiled softly. Isis smiled back. "See, a smile makes everyone happy. I bet he's happy too."

"I hope he is happy," Yugi said. "Thank you, Isis. It's been hard keeping that to myself. But please don't tell anyone! I promised no one would know of him, and I feel as if I've broken it."

"Don't worry. I won't tell a single person. His secret and yours are safe with me. Now, let's get back to the party. But this time, don't pretend to be happy. I want to see you truly happy."

Yugi nodded and smiled. "I'll be there in a minute." Isis nodded then walked back inside, and Yugi turned around and looked back up at the sky. The sun had set completely, and the sky was almost totally black. A few streaks of purple and orange still remained. 'Are you watching me, Yami? Can I pretend you are? And…for one minute, can I pretend you love me too? If yes, don't say anything.' No sound was made as the wind softly blew by. Yugi smiled and wiped away a stray tear. 'Thanks, Yami. For everything.' He then turned and walked inside.

-----------------------

Yami took a deep breath as he watched the sun set from the balcony in his room. This was definitely not one of his better days. In fact, it sucked. But thankfully it was almost over. Then he could deal with whatever shittiness tomorrow would bring. Sighing loudly, he placed his arms on the banister, and rested his head down on his arms. 'I can't deal with this anymore. Everything has changed since I came back. I can't pay attention to anything, I keep getting in arguments with everyone, I'm skipping out on my work, and then Marik gets hurt because of me.'

"I don't want to deal with this anymore!" he yelled loudly, the noise startling a few birds in the garden. "Why can't everything go back to normal? Why did things have to change?" Sitting down, he leaned his forehead against the bars of the banister and groaned. Things were definitely fucked up. And Yami had a feeling it would stay that way for a long time. Life just sucked that way. Sensing someone approach his room, Yami closed his eyes and groaned. He really didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Though that didn't stop the door from bursting open, letting a very angry Bakura to storm in.

"WHAT THEFUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!" he yelled. "I LEAVE YOU FOR A FEW HOURS AND YOU ALMOST KILL EACH OTHER!"

"Bakura, not now," Yami said tiredly, not turning around to face the other.

"NO! We need to talk NOW! You have been seriously screwing things over since you came back!"

"Well, maybe I should just leave again!" Yami growled.

"Don't even start with that attitude! You have no right to get mad at us after everything we've been through to bring you back!" Bakura yelled back.

"I have every right to have an attitude!" Yami screamed, getting up and facing the other Shadow. "You people have been on my back this whole week! Just because I refuse to deal with Yugi the way you want me to! And I am so fucking sick of it!"

"You are just being selfish!" Bakura growled. "While you think of your relationship with that boy, the rest of us are thinking about our people! If any word got out, we would be hunted down YET AGAIN! Do you really want that on your conscience?"

"I am the King, and I will do what I see fit! You have no authority to tell me what to do! Or do you think that this crown is just a decoration?" Yami asked, pointing to the golden crown on his head.

"Well sorry to say this, your Majesty, but you are a complete ass!" Bakura seethed. "Because you can't get your mind around that boy, Marik was hurt!"

Yami was silent as he glared at his silver haired friend. He then sighed and sat back down, his back facing Bakura. "Marik shouldn't have grabbed my attack."

"And you shouldn't have been fighting Seto," Bakura responded, sitting down next to him. "What's going on with you, Yami?"

"…I don't really know. This entire week has been hell for me. I just can't think straight anymore. It's really pissing me off."

"Yami, you do know that it's because of the boy," Bakura said, leaning his back against the railing.

"I know."

"So…what are you going to do?"

"Nothing. I'll have to get over this by myself. However long it takes, I'll get over this," Yami said softly. Bakura frowned, and placed a hand on Yami's shoulder. "I don't want to hurt him."

"Wiping his memory won't hurt him. You know that…or do you think that it would hurt you more?" Yami stayed silent, but shrugged. He didn't know how to respond to that. "Yami, you are really not doing so good. How do you know that he still thinks of you?"

"That…is what scares me a bit, I guess. I don't really want him to forget me. If he doesn't think of me, fine. But as long as he remembers I exist…I guess…that is what I really want."

"You never could stand it if someone didn't know about you," Bakura said with a soft chuckle. "But that human…Yugi…no matter what you think of him, he is still a human, and he is still an enemy. If not him, the rest of his kind. You can't forget everything they put our race through."

"I won't. But, I just can't think of him that way. He's different, I know it. He wouldn't tell anyone of us. I trust him."

"You trust him with the biggest secret in the world? You trust one human with the secret that millions of other people live on this earth and no one knows?"

"Yes, I do. I just wish you guys would trust my judgement in him."

"I'm sorry, Yami. But I don't trust humans. The last time we were in contact with humans, my wings were shot. I can't forget that so easily. I won't forgive them for that." Yami didn't reply. He just stared out at the city below his palace. The lights were shining so brightly, lighting up the black sky. It was always the same way. The light from the city, the dark from the sky, the way they melted into one another and became one. Completing each other. Light and Dark. But right now, Yami was missing his light, and the longer he was away, the worse he would get. He knew it. Darkness couldn't survive on it's own.

"My light," he whispered.

"What?"

"Did you know there is a human that looks like you?" Yami asked softly. Bakura blinked and widened his eyes, his mouth agape.

"WHAT!"

"I wonder…would he be your light?" Yami asked, still speaking quietly. Though he said it more to himself than Bakura. Bakura just stared at him as if he had grown another head. "Can you hate your light?"

"Yami…you aren't making sense."

"Bakura, do you know what Seto said earlier? He said that if I care so much for Yugi, I should give up my crown and go live with him," continued Yami. He brought his knees up to his chest and lay his head down, closing his eyes as a soft breeze came by.

"What? You aren't going to do that, are you?" Bakura asked, completely shocked.

"Of course not! I can't do something like that. My duties as King come first. But…it makes me wonder…if I can't handle leaving a friend, am I really cut out to handle the responsibilities as King?"

"How many times have you thought that?" the other Shadow asked.

"A lot. At least once a day. And this week is just proving me that I can't."

"That's bull and you know it! Look how much you've done for our people. There is no one in the world more suited to be King, and there is no one I would serve other than you."

Yami smiled, glad that he had the support of his friend. "Thanks, Bakura. I just…I don't want to loose a friend."

"I just don't understand why a human would be so special to you," Bakura said, looking up at the sky.

"Because he is the only one to ever treat me like a normal person," Yami replied, looking back out at the city.

"What? But the rest of us do the same."

Yami shook his head. "It's not the same. We've been friends since birth, but you still treat me differently. You choose your words carefully, you don't act as rashly around me, you speak to me in a more respectful tone. And then, you always follow every order I give you. It's nothing like how you treat the others."

"Yami, that is the way I was taught. But the way I was taught to treat you, and the way I grew up treating you aren't the same," Bakura said with a frown.

"Yes they are. No matter what, you will always treat me like the King. No matter how many decades, centuries, or millennia go by, you will always treat me differently."

"And that Yugi kid didn't?"

Yami sighed, and answered, "No, he didn't. When I told him I was the King, he didn't treat me any differently than if I were a regular person. He didn't really care, because to him I _was_ a regular person. I miss that."

"I…am sorry that I can't give you that sense of informality," Bakura replied, "But you are my Master first, and my friend second. That is how I was raised to treat you, and I can't change."

"I know, and I don't want you to change. I just want to be treated like a normal teenager sometimes. I want people to see me, not my crown."

"If that is what you really want, then I'll try," Bakura replied, standing up. "But now it is late. You have a lot to do tomorrow, so you better get some sleep." Yami nodded, but did nothing else. Bakura sighed and walked towards the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob, and turned around to face the Shadow King. "That boy has changed you, Yami. For better or worse, I have yet to see. For your sake, though, I hope it's for the better. Otherwise, all your emotions would be wasted." He then walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Yami just sat there, listening to the wind rustle in the trees. 'For better or worse? Could things have changed that much in just one week? Am I so weak that something like this could affect me so much? Obviously I am, because I can't get my mind off of Yugi. It's not good for me or my people.' The King sighed and traced patterns in the ground with his finger. 'How do I go about forgetting someone so important to me? How can I put all these memories behind me?'

Looking up at the sky, Yami let out a long, high pitched whistle. It rang clear in the night, echoing as it traveled. When he was finished, Yami placed his head back down on his knees, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. A few seconds later, he heard the light flutter of wings as something landed beside him. Opening his eyes he saw one of his messenger birds sitting there. The bird cooed softly and hopped towards him, wanting to be picked up. Yami smiled and held out his hand for the bird to climb on, and once it was on Yami began to stroke it's breast.

"Hello again," he said softly. The bird chirped and lightly nipped his finger in greeting. "Is everything well with him?" The bird nodded it's head, and Yami let out a relieved sigh. Another day gone by without incident. He had been checking up with his birds every night, just to make sure. He needed to know that everything was fine, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep. "How is he doing?" The bird blinked then silently hung it's head, and Yami frowned. That wasn't a good answer. "What's wrong?" The black bird's body trembled and hid it's head under a wing, it's tail feathers drooping. "He's…not happy?" The bird chirped in reply.

'Why isn't he happy? Could something have happened? No, the bird would have told me. So…what is the cause of his sadness? Could it be…no…he couldn't be sad because he misses me. He…he's not as weak as me. I'm sure he's gotten over it…I hope. If he was sad because of me…that would be the worst.' He closed his eyes and placed a hand over them. Yami couldn't bear the thought of Yugi being unhappy because of something he had done. 'Damnit, everything is going wrong.'

The bird crooned softly and rubbed it's head against Yami's hand, trying to comfort his creator. "What can I do?" Yami whispered. "How do I fix this? I'm going insane being away from him, and it's messing up everyone else's life. How can I stop things before they get out of hand?" The bird chirped and hopped onto his shoulder and sat down. "I have to forget him, but it hurts to think that way. It hurts so much. What can I do? How do I forget the one I love? Is it really for the best? Why do I always have to sacrifice so much?"

Yami shook his head, and looked up at the sky with a determined gaze. "Not this time. I will be selfish this one last time. To forget him…I must see him again. To bring closure to everything, I have to see him one more time." The bird cooed and cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I know what I must do. To protect my people, and to end this pain in my heart, I will go see him again. I will tell him I love him, then I will erase his memories. And maybe…one day this pain will disappear." The Shadow King bit his lip to hold back a sob, and he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let any tears build up. "I'm sorry, Yugi. I'm so sorry, but it's for the best. Forgive me for being selfish. But I must bear this pain alone. I'm so sorry."

----------------

Back in Kyall Arie, a man in his twenties stood in an alley behind an apartment complex. He was wearing a simple black shirt with jeans and sneakers. The young man brushed his long, light blue hair out of his bright, green eyes, looking at his watch in annoyance. He was supposed to meet someone here, but they were late. He had much better things to do than to wait for someone. He didn't even know who he was meeting. He just got a letter saying that someone wanted to meet him. 'Damnit, I was probably set up. I'm leaving.' He began to turn to leave, when he noticed a cloaked figure was standing in front of him.

"Leaving so soon?" the figure said, male by the voice.

"Leader! _You_ sent me the message?" the blue haired man asked, bowing in front of the man.

"That's right. I called you because I trust you more than those other idiots who work for me. I know you won't let me down, Tsuno,(2)" Leader said.

"I am honored that you feel so strongly about me, Leader. What is it that you want from me?" Tsuno asked.

"I want you to find out as much information as you can on a certain person," Leader said.

"Who?"

"A human."

"A HUMAN!" Tsuno asked, completely bowled over. "How do you expect me to do that?"

"Simple. Go to the human city and track him down."

"But…you want me to go into a human city?"

"Are you hard of hearing? I said a HUMAN city. The town of Domino to be specific."

"But why?"

"I want to know all about that human that Yami has grown fond of. The one I mentioned at our last meeting. His name is Yugi Mouto. All I know is that he is sixteen, lives with his grandfather, and he looks exactly like Yami."

"How do you know all that, Leader?" Tsuno asked, playing with a string on his sleeve.

"With the way Yami screams about him all around the castle, everyone knows about it," Leader replied with a smirk, his dark eyes gleaming with malicious laughter.

"What do you want me to do? Should I kill him?"

"No! Don't you dare harm him! Yami has forbidden anyone from hurting him, and if he turned up dead, he would suspect something."

"But didn't you say that killing that human will play into our hands?"

"Yes, but I want to see where this goes. I was right about Yami caring for him. That idiot just doesn't know what to do now. Apparently, he doesn't want to wipe the boy's memory. But that puts our entire race into danger. He's a complete fool and doesn't deserve to be king."

"So what should I do?"

"Find the boy. Track him and see how his life goes. I want to know everything, especially his weaknesses. That way, I can exploit them. If all goes well, the little Yugi boy will be the perfect tool in bringing 'his royal highness' down."

"You are sure this will work, Leader?"

"Yes. If Yami is so preoccupied with the human, taking over the throne will be much easier. But I'm not asking you to blend in with the humans. That's a punishment no Shadow deserves."

"Ok. I will get as much information as I can. I'm honored you chose me, Leader. I swear, I will not let you down," Tsuno said, bowing once more in front of the cloaked man before spreading his wings and taking off in the air.

"For your sake, you had better not," Leader said, removing the hood and letting his long hair down. It shimmered in the moonlight as it fell around his face. "Phase two begins now. You had luck the first time, Yami. Coming back alive. Let's see how well you do when your little human pet is the target."

---------------------

1.) The name Aine was taken from an anime character called Aine Yukimura, from Kaikan Phrase (American name: Sensual Phrase). It's a great show that's almost like Gravitation, except it's not yaoi or shounen-ai. But it is about a band who tries to make a record deal. And the songs rock! (dies) I love Midnight Crow. Also, the temple was taken from Kyou Kara Maou. Another series I love! I'm listening to the opening song now. (dances)

2.) My O.C. Yes, he is supposed to be a bad guy. I just love him! His age varies depending on the fic I'm working on. Here he is 22. He's horrible! Isn't that perfect?

Star: So there is chapter 8. I am not really happy with this one. It was supposed to be longer, but I just didn't want to add anything else to it. A scene w/ Yugi was supposed to be before the scene with Tsuno and Leader, but I cut it.

Yugi: Hey! That's mean!

Star: You got a bigger part in the previous chapter. Besides, I love you more than that idiot Yami.

Yami: You're the idiot.

Star: Speaking of idiots, I have a few questions for all of you! (dances with Estafo) How many feel sad for either Yami or Yugi? How many think that Yami and Seto are complete idiots? How many think Yami is acting like a love sick puppy?

Yami: Oi!

Star: **HOW MANY OF YOU THOUGHT BAKURA HAD A GIRLFRIEND? ADMIT IT! YOU THOUGHT IT!** And who absolutely HATES Tsuno and/or Leader?

Yami: I do!

Star: That's all the time we have for today! Hope you review! Ja!

Estafo: (waves)


	9. Reunion

Star: HELLO AGAIN! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. School has been a major pain, and then comes my laziness. Ah, but you have heard this enough. OMG! My birthday is in 6 days! This coming Saturday! ;dances with Estafo;

Yugi: Good for you! ;blows noise maker;

Yami: You're getting old.

Star: Shut up! No cake for you! But omg! Guess what else! I now own Cross Soul volumes 1, 2, and 4! **I AM SO HAPPY! I LOVE CROSS SOUL!** ;dies repeatedly; Ah, life is wonderfullness! Anyway, this is the most controversial, and shocking chapter so far. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I'm too happy to argue! ;dances;

"speech"

'thoughts'

Dedicated to my awesome friend Khrystal! **I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY NOW! MAKING ME RUIN THE WHOLE PLOT JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH THINGS LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT! AND IF THE READERS KILL ME, I'LL COME BACK AND HAUNT YOU FOREVER! SO DEAL WITH IT!** Love ya!

**p.s. I will explain something at the bottom.**

------------Reunion------------

It was six fifteen on a Wednesday morning, and Yugi was getting ready for school. Four days had gone by since Yugi had talked to Isis and revealed why he was acting so strangely. Strangely, he felt a bit better. But he felt as if the hole in his heart was getting bigger. It had been twelve days since he had seen Yami. Twelve days! It didn't seem possible that time had moved that fast, but here he was, a week and a half later. He didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that time had gone by so quickly.

Picking up his brush, he ran it through his hair as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Today the mirror wasn't foggy, so there was no way for him to confuse his reflection with Yami. Ever since that incident Yugi had avoided looking into the mirror when it was fogged up. There was no way he was going to do that again. Once was enough. With a sigh he put down the brush and looked at himself in the mirror. Jou had made a comment two days ago saying that he looked different as well. Yugi just didn't see it. Sure he looked a bit more tired than usual, he had small bags under his eyes, and he didn't have that 'glow' about him, as Jou had put it. But he had every right to look as bad as he wanted to.

He stuck his tongue out at his reflection, then turned and walked downstairs where he collapsed on the couch. He had a lot of time left before he had to leave for school, so now he could be lazy. And lately, he had been extremely lazy. Yugi heard a noise in the kitchen, but didn't feel like getting up. "Good morning, jii-chan."

"Yugi! Why are you up so early?" Sugoroku asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"I couldn't sleep anymore."

"Are you feeling ok? You love to sleep late, and you haven't been doing that recently." Sugoroku placed a hand on Yugi's forehead, but Yugi pushed it off.

"I'm fine. I'm just…not so sleepy nowadays."

"Well, you've been going to bed so late. And you don't seem to have as much energy as before. Is something wrong?"

Gods, did Yugi hate that question! He'd been asked that by everyone since the day after Yami left. His friends, the teachers, Isis, and now jii-chan. Why couldn't they just leave him alone to wallow in his depression? "I'm fine," he replied coldly before getting up. "I'm going to take a walk." He grabbed his school bag, which was by his foot, and walked out the door, leaving his jii-chan to wonder what had caused such a change in his grandson.

Outside, Yugi felt much better. The cool morning air felt nice against his skin, and it was quiet. With a sigh, he headed towards the park. It was close to school, and he had enough time to relax. At least here no one would bother him with stupid questions. But he did feel bad for snapping at his jii-chan. He was only caring for him. 'Great! Now I feel bad' But whatever, he would apologize later.

Yugi walked through the park slowly, taking a look at the scenery. There weren't many people around, save the joggers. The flower buds were closed, and the birds were silent. Even the fish in the large pond and the streams were barely moving. Walking onto a bridge, Yugi leaned against the railing and looked down at the water. A small fish swam slowly under the bridge, and Yugi followed it with his eyes. Letting out a sigh, he looked up at the sky. 'Damn, everything is a mess. Everyday I seem to pull away farther from my friends. I don't have energy to do anything, and…I CAN'T STOP SIGHING!'

The teen groaned and walked off the bridge, heading towards a tree. Not just any tree, it was the tree where he had first seen Yami. It was easy to recognize; some branches were missing or broken, and a bit of the bark had been scraped off from Yami's wings. The tree was damaged, and yet it was the place where Yugi felt the best. Being here, it was as if he could sense Yami's spirit. Closing his eyes, Yugi thought back to that day.

It started off like usual. He had gone to school, where he met up with his friends. He found out he passed a test that he hadn't studied for, so he was in a good mood that day. Ushio even left him alone. After school, he had gone with Honda to the library to do research on a project. Around nine the two had gone to the arcade. It was well after eleven when they parted to go home.

That was when he decided to walk through the park. It was the best decision he had ever made. Everything was normal for the first five minutes, when he suddenly heard a bunch of loud crashes and someone crying out. It was silent for a minute until someone yelled out 'damn trees'. At first, Yugi had wanted to turn around and find a different way home, but something inside him refused to let him walk away. So he had taken a deep breath and slowly walked towards the noise.

And then he saw him.

Yami.

Lying there on the ground, covered in blood, his wings spread out. Yugi couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp. What else should he have done? Scream? Run away? But no, he couldn't. Despite the obvious fact that this was _not_ a human, he just couldn't leave the other there all alone to bleed. Sure he was a bit scared, but he just had to do something. After Yami had passed out, Yugi decided that it would be best to get home to treat the other's wounds. Boy, was it hard carrying Yami all the way from the park. And those wings certainly didn't help. But the whole time, Yugi knew that he was doing the right thing.

Opening his eyes, Yugi smiled and played with the bracelet on his wrist. 'Even though I'm depressed now, I'm glad that I met him. He made me so happy for that short week, but that was enough. I'll always miss him, but…at least I have some good memories. I'll have to settle for that.' Looking down at his watch, Yugi gasped when he realized he would be late. 'Oops! I'll have to wait till later to get lost in my thoughts.' He ran through the park all the way to school, because the last thing he wanted was to get yelled at by the teachers.

--------

'Work work work. That's all I've been doing for the past few days!' thought Yami as he wandered the halls of his palace. 'I didn't realize that I had missed so much during the three weeks I was away. Of course, thinking about Yugi non-stop isn't really helping my work get done faster either.' The King stopped at a window and stared out at the gardens. It looked so peaceful out there. 'Why can't things be like that in my life?' Since Saturday Yami had dedicated himself to his work. He didn't do anything else but work and sleep. He was trying to keep his mind from wandering to Yugi and to his decision. If he didn't keep himself busy then he would start to question if his decision to erase the human's memories of him was for the best. 'I just don't know what to do! I don't want to do it, but I have no choice.'

"Yami!" someone called from the other end of the hall. The Shadow King turned and saw Marik walking towards him. "What are you doing?"

"Tying to escape Seto so I can have a break," Yami replied, looking back out the window.

"You really should focus on your work," the blonde said. "But it's probably best that you take a break. I definitely don't want to have a repeat of Saturday."

"I said I was sorry," Yami mumbled.

"Yea, well, you are lucky my hand healed quickly," Marik said, flexing his right hand. "Otherwise I would have kicked your ass."

"You wish."

"So why are you wandering the halls?"

"Because I'm bored, there is nothing else to do, and I wanted some time to myself to think," replied Yami as he started to walk down the hall. "With so many people surrounding me all the time, I can never find time to relax."

"Well, that's what happens when you go missing for so long. But even though you say you want to relax, you can't, can you?"

"I'm stressed out. What do you expect?"

Marik shook his head. "You are worried about something." Yami glanced at him, then masked his scent. The other rolled his eyes. "Don't think that masking your scent will keep me from finding out what's wrong. I can still sense your worry, even if I can't smell it."

"It doesn't concern you, so forget about it." Yami headed towards his bedroom where hopefully he could be alone.

"It's about the human kid."

Yami stopped in his tracks and looked at Marik. "It doesn't concern you," Yami repeated sternly.

"See, that is where you are wrong. It does concern me. It concerns all of us, because you are putting that boy's safety before your people's."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore," the King responded as he entered his bedroom. "I've decided to erase Yugi's memories."

"You have?" Marik asked in surprise, closing the door behind him.

"Why do you seem so surprised? Isn't that what you wanted?" Yami asked bitterly. "I would think you would be happy."

"Well…I am, but I didn't expect you to actually cave."

"I'm not doing this for you, or for the others. I'm doing this for my own reasons. So don't think that I've caved or anything."

"What reasons would you have that would make you go against everything you've been saying for the past week and a half?"

"That is my business." With a sigh Yami lay down on his bed, burying his face in a pillow.

"And you are ok with this?" Marik asked, sitting down next to him.

Yami didn't answer. He couldn't answer, because he didn't know the answer. Well…he did. He wasn't ok with the decision. He would never be ok with it. Erasing the memories of the person he loved was hard. Just thinking about it hurt. Was he supposed to lie and say he didn't care what happened? Should he lie? No, Marik would see right through it. The other probably already knew that he didn't really want to do it. He felt a hand rest on his back, and he sighed. Yep, Marik knew.

"It's for the best, you know."

"I hate it though."

"But you can't deny that it'll help everyone. Including him. He will no longer have to worry about keeping such a big secret to himself."

"Yugi would never have told anyone."

"But still, it's a big burden to put on the kid. This will make things easier for him. You want him to have a good, easy life, right?"

"Of course I do, but still…for once I want something for myself. I want to keep my friendship with him without worrying about how it will affect the rest of the Shadow race."

"That's a bit selfish for the King to say."

"And that's why I'm so torn. If I don't do it, my people might be in danger because of my selfishness, but I still don't want to do it." Yami sighed, and flipped over onto his back. "What do you think I should do?"

"No way am I answering that!" Marik said. "If you can't think of an answer, then there is no way I'm going to attempt to think of one."

"Some help you are," Yami said, rolling his eyes.

"If you want advice, go see Seto. Does he know what you have decided?"

"No. You are the first person I've told. I'll tell the others later."

"Well, I feel special," the blonde said, and in reply Yami hit him on the chest. "So when are you going to do it?"

"I don't know. When I feel as if I can deal with it." The Shadow King sighed, then closed his eyes. 'I'm never going to be able to deal with this well. No one in my position would. I hate having to be the strong one in these situations.' It was always expected of him to deal with things like this, when many times he just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't he just have a normal life? He loved being King, but sometimes he felt as if he weren't emotionally or mentally mature enough to handle things. He never told anyone, and as far as he could tell no one knew. But seriously! He was still young. He wasn't even ten thousand years old! How could anyone expect him to handle these things well?

"Who knows, maybe things will work themselves out," Marik replied. 'If not then everything breaks apart.'

Yami just 'hmm-ed' in reply then fell silent. He just didn't know what to do. This was the most important decision he had ever made in his life, and he just didn't have a clue as to what to do. Erase Yugi's memories, protect his people, and be miserable for the rest of his life? Or don't erase Yugi's memories, put his people in danger, and feel guilty for the rest of his life? Such wonderful options. Too bad there was no third option. If there was it should be 'hide in a cave and let the others deal with it'.

It was silent in the room for a while. The two teens just lay there on the bed, each wondering how this situation would end up. Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? It was obvious this whole ordeal wasn't as black and white as it sounded. Either way, someone would end up hurt, betrayed, abandoned, alone and heartbroken. Whether it was one person, or the entire Shadow population. "Why does my life have to be so hard?" Yami asked quietly.

"Because you are the King, and you have to deal with things like this."

"Why can't I have something for myself? Why can't I be happy?" Yami draped his right arm across his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He felt the mattress shift next to him, and sensed Marik leaning over him. Moving his arm away, he opened his eyes and looked into Marik's dark, lavender orbs.

"Why did we break up?" the blonde asked.

"Because you were a jackass and an arrogant bastard," Yami replied, rolling his eyes.

"Because your duties as King got in the way. You had to deal with the threat of war between two nations. The people expected you to solve it, and in order for you to focus on finding a peaceful solution, you had to sacrifice many things. Our relationship was one of them."

"So as long as I stay King, I'll never have a lasting relationship with anyone?" asked Yami.

"I'm not saying that. But it does make it hard to have one at all. If you weren't King, you would be able to stay friends with the human kid."

"But that's not the case."

"No, but it does add to the problem. This crown," Marik said, tapping the golden, winged crown on Yami's head, "and the responsibilities that come with it will always add to the problem, no matter how you look at it."

"So then what should I do?"

"For now," the blonde responded, slowly slipping a hand up Yami's shirt, "don't think of the problem."

"Easier said than done," the teenage King replied, his eyes flickering shut.

"You just need a little distraction. And I'd be happy to provide it."

---------

'Let's see…to find this answer I need…uh…the opposite of 'b' plus or minus the square root of 'b' squared minus…uh…damn!' "Ryou, what comes after this?" It was currently homeroom, and Yugi was desperately trying to remember formulas for his algebra test next period. 'Damn algebra!' he thought.

"Well, it's 'b' squared minus four times 'a' times 'c' over 2 times 'a'," the silver haired teen responded quickly, taking a bite of the apple he held in his hand.

"I hate you and your knowledge of math!" the smaller teen responded. "And I still see no point in learning this stuff. When will I ever need to know the stupid quadratic formulas?"

"Well, if someone randomly comes up to you on the street years from now and asks you, you'll know," Ryou replied with a chuckle.

"You are such a comedian," said Yugi sarcastically. "But seriously, if I get even one right, I'll die of shock." With a mental sigh, the teen reached down and started to twirl the silver bracelet around. He was extremely glad he had the bracelet on, or he would have had no confidence at all. Thanks again, Yami!

Ryou noticed that Yugi had once again reached for the bracelet, but didn't say anything about it. After a long talk with the others, they had all decided to drop the subject of the mysterious man and Yugi's strange personality changes. For now anyway. He seemed to be slowly getting back to normal, so the boys didn't want to ruin it by bringing the issues back up. They'd let some time pass, then broach the subject again. "So, why didn't you study last night?"

"Because I had to help jii-chan set up some new items in the store, and it took longer than I thought. Besides, I never study for a math test."

"And then you complain about not knowing things," Ryou said with a shake of his head.

"I know things! Just not when it comes to math! Not everyone studies non stop like you," Yugi replied, glaring at the other.

"Well, you know Ryou isn't happy unless he has a textbook with him," said Honda as he approached the two, Malik behind him.

"Shut it. Just because I'd rather study and make good grades, than goof off and get in trouble doesn't mean you can pick on me," Ryou replied.

"But you know it's true," Malik commented, earning him a punch in the stomach from the British teen. "You're the little bookworm of our group."

"Right now the bookworm has to help me study for my test before the bell rings," said Yugi.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" Malik said, taking Ryou's apple and shoving it in Yugi's mouth. "You always do."

"My apple!" Ryou cried.

"By the way, where is Jou?" asked Malik.

"Hms wiphf ah inciahl," Yugi answered, the apple still in his mouth.

"Why's he with the principal?" Yugi just shrugged, and Malik sighed. "Well, that's not helpful at all." Yugi glared at him, and Malik just ruffled his hair.

"We'll see him at lunch," Honda said. "Besides, he probably got in trouble again, or something."

"Probably."

Just then the bell rang, and Yugi gasped. "Oh no!" he cried, spitting out the apple. "I didn't finish studying! Malik this is your fault! You aren't getting my desert today!"

"No!"

------

Outside the principal's office, Jou looked over at the clock. 'Damn, guess I'm late for class. Ah well, who really needs chemistry? Stupid principal, calling me in fa no reason. If he's gonna start blamin' me for something I didn't do, den I'm just gonna leave!' Jou sighed, and ran a hand through his messy hair, and looked out the window at the hall. He watched as all the students walked and pushed their way through the crowd to make it to their classes on time.

'Dere's so many people. Dat's why da halls are always crowded. Why can't dey just use a different stairway?' From where he was sitting he saw a boy head towards his locker. The boy was tall, with broad shoulders, and brown hair. 'Hmm…from the back, he looks like dat guy I saw at da gate. I wonder what happened ta him.' Jou leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. 'I neva saw him after dat day. At least not physically.'

Ever since the meeting with that stranger at the front gate, Jou had been thinking of him non-stop. It wasn't usual for him to think about random strangers for so long, but there was just something about that guy that made him stick in Jou's mind. What it was, the blonde couldn't begin to guess. But it was almost two weeks later, and Jou could remember the man clearly. His dark sapphire eyes, and his chestnut brown hair. His slim, muscular frame, and his soft pale skin. The air of confidence and cockiness around him. He remembered everything clearly.

Why? Jou didn't know why. It wasn't as if he was attracted to the guy or anything. He had only seen him for a total of five minutes, and talked to him for about two. Definitely not enough time to become attracted to the guy. And even if he was, there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't as if he was going to see the guy ever again. For all Jou knew he could be on the other side of the world at this moment. 'Probably with a girlfriend or something,' the blonde thought, suddenly bitter and jealous. 'Ok, enough thinking of dat guy. I don't even know his name!'

"Katsuya?" a deep male voice called, snapping Jou from his thoughts. The blonde looked around, and saw the principal, a middle-aged man with thinning black hair, standing in front of him. Quickly looking out the window, he tried to find the brunette in the hall, but the hall was empty. Jou sighed and hung his head. Ah well, it wasn't the guy anyway. "It's nice to see you again, Katsuya."

"Yea, same here. But stop callin' me Katsuya," Jou said as he followed the man into his office.

"You know I call everyone by their first names. I figure we know each other well enough to drop the formalities," the principal replied, adjusting the glasses that covered his brown eyes.

"Don't think so, Tomokazu-_san_. So what am I in for?"

"Well, Jounouchi-_kun_, I'd like to talk to you about your father." At the mention of his father, Jou stiffened. "How is everything between you two."

"Ok. Nothing special happening." 'Damn dis old bastard! Why does he always have ta bring dis subject up?'

"Are you sure? Is he treating you ok?"

"Yes…why do ya ask?"

"Because…well, a teacher saw a large bruise on your back one day."

"That coulda come from anything. You know I get into fights," Jou defended. No way was he going to tell this man the truth. All the teachers already knew that his father was an unemployed drunk who loved to beat up on his son. That's why his mother and younger sister, Shizuka, had left. But why did the principal make it his mission to pry further into his life?

"Well, according to your friends, you haven't been in any fights recently."

"You talked ta my friends about dis?" Jou asked, now getting mad. "What gives you da right ta do that?"

"It is my responsibility to make sure that all my students are safe."

"That's only during school. Whatever happens outside school is none of your business!" Jou yelled.

"If it affects your education, then it becomes my business!" the principal yelled back, before he sighed. "I just want to know if everything is ok at home."

"It's fine," Jou snapped. "So stop bothering me about dis stuff. I'm going ta class." He stood up and grabbed his bag, and headed for the door.

"Jounouchi, we are not finished here!" the principal yelled.

"Yes, we are. And next time ya want to waste my time with something, make sure it's important." Jou then threw open the door and stalked out of the room, hoping to make it out of the office before the principal could catch him. But in his hurry to leave he failed to see the person turning the corner in front of him. The two crashed into each other, and fell to the ground, papers and books littering the floor. 'Ow! Damn, shoulda looked out.' A sudden gasp caught his attention, and he looked up and was shocked at what he saw. It was a pale face with blue eyes and brown hair.

"Jou-kun!"

"Anzu!"

-------

'Man, I'm bored!' Bakura thought as he walked through the courtyard of the castle. It was a little after nine thirty, and there was absolutely nothing to do. He had wanted to go the arcade with Marik, but apparently Marik and Yami were 'busy', so now he had nothing to do. And Seto was at a meeting, and Otogi was nowhere to be found. 'I hate being bored!' With an annoyed sigh, Bakura unfurled his wings and took off into the sky. He didn't feel like going to the city alone, so he chose to fly towards the lake that was half a mile behind the castle.

After three minutes, the silver haired Shadow touched down on the ground in front of the body of water. This lake was huge, the dark blue waters shimmering brightly in the sun light. It was surrounded by gigantic, green trees, with flowers blooming everywhere. As a kid, he and the others would always come here for picnics with their families. It was here where he had some of the best memories of his life. Like the time he pulled off Yami's bathing trunks underwater. Or the time he and Marik dunked Seto. Ah, good times.

Lying down on a concrete bench under one of the trees, Bakura looked around at the scenery and spotted a cluster of white flowers. With a smile, he reached over and picked one. White roses. They were his aunt's favorite flowers. They were all around the palace, and the grounds that surrounded it. He remembered that she once told him that even though she couldn't see the flowers, she could sense their beauty and serenity. Incidentally, they became Bakura's favorite flowers as well.But thinking of his aunt made Bakura think back to the talk he had with Reika the last time he went to visit the temple. What he heard worried him a bit. It was not only unexpected, it was also unusual.

000flashback000

"My Lord, there is something I must speak to you about," the High Priestess said, sitting down at a table in the courtyard. "It concerns some recent visions I have had."

"You know I don't deal with that. Yami is the one you have to tell your visions to," Bakura replied, taking a sip of the tea that was offered to him.

"Yes, but…these visions are strange. Everything is just a black blur, with occasional streaks of color. I hear mumbles and echoing whispers, but they are just noises. There are no words attached to these voices. Then there is one that is particularly frightening. All I can see is red. Nothing else, but a dark red the color of blood, and…someone is screaming. A loud, piercing scream, full of pain and fear and despair. Every time I hear it I feel an enormous pain in my heart and I begin to cry."

"Do you know who is screaming?" Bakura asked her, but Reika shook her head.

"No. I don't even know if it is a male or female. It's just red with a white dot here and there. But it is definitely a bad omen."

"Could it be that something will happen to Yami?" This was bad. Reika's visions were always decipherable. If her divinations came like that, then something was wrong.

"I do not know. I have spent every day trying to contact Lady Aine, but she will not reply to me. It's as if our connection has been cut."

"What!" Bakura yelled, standing up. "Reika, this is serious! If you can't contact my aunt, then there is no way we can prevent things like that vision from happening!"

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I have tried many times to decipher these visions, but I have come up with nothing. There are no scrolls that talk about this, no ancient prophecies, and without solid images, I can't find any symbolism to connect with these visions."

"How long has this been going on?"

"I received the first vision four days before you rescued the Master."

"Four days? That was a Monday. Why didn't you come tell Yami earlier?"

"Because I didn't want to burden the Master so soon after being rescued from the human city. I knew he would have much to do."

"Well he's been back for eight days. In that time you could have come to see him!" Bakura yelled.

"I'm sorry, my Lord," Reika replied as she bowed her head, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. "I have failed you and the Master."

Bakura sighed, then sat back down. "You have not failed, Reika. It's just that this has never happened before, so I don't know how to react to this. Isn't there anything, _anything_, that you can figure out from these visions?"

Reika sighed, then bit her lip as she thought. "Well…there are many colors. The black I see in most of the visions can represent evil, or despair. The dark red can represent blood. The white is purity and innocence. Then I see…there are just too many colors all mixed up for me to pick them all out. I'm sorry."

"Is the person screaming saying anything?"

"No…but I feel…as if he or she is screaming for help. I feel that person's pain and terror and, though there are no words, there is no mistaking a cry for help." Reika shook her head, and started to tremble. "It hurts to think of that one. Whatever is happening in that scene is not right, I know it. Someone innocent is being hurt, tortured maybe. He or she cries for help, and I wish I could do something, but I never can and it breaks my heart."

Bakura frowned but didn't answer. He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. There was nothing else he could do. Reika was the only person who could talk to his aunt, and no matter if he went back to the chamber, he couldn't change anything. Either his aunt was sending these blurred visions for a reason, or something else was interfering. What that thing could be was a mystery, because the connection between Aine and Reika was a gift from the gods. Unless the gods had something to do with it. But why would they suddenly interfere? They had never done anything like this before. "Reika, try as hard as you can to contact my aunt. Our entire race might be in danger."

"Don't worry, my Lord. You can count on me."

000end000

Bakura hadn't spoken to Reika since that day. But according to one of the priestesses, she had not left the burial chamber at all. Apparently, she had still not been able to speak with Aine, and still had no break through in what the visions could mean. After three weeks, she had still not been able to figure out anything. It had never taken her that long to decipher her visions. Of course, never before had she received visions that were just blurs of colors and wordless noises.

'What could be happening, Aunt? Is something bad going to happen? I have a bad feeling that the answer is yes.' Closing his eyes, Bakura breathed in deeply the scent of the flowers around him. He still had not told anyone of what Reika had said. He was hoping that she would be able to contact Aine or figure something out before anything happened. Until then, he was keeping it to himself. No need to get everyone worried…yet.

He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of wings approaching him. Looking at the sky in the direction of the castle, he spotted Otogi flying towards him. Sitting up, Bakura reopened his wings, and took off into the air. "Where have you been all day," he asked the other.

"Sorry, had to talk with the French ambassador. They are still mad at me that I skipped out of the conference the week before you found Yami."

"Fun."

"Yea, well now I'm bored. And seeing how Seto is busy, and the others are 'busy' I came looking for you. What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking. And if you make one joke on that, I'll have you demoted to equipment manager," Bakura replied, sending a small glare to Otogi who just rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. But as I'm bored, I'm going to the city. Wanna come?"

"Why not?" Bakura replied, and the two took off towards Kyall Arie.

--------

"Yes! Lunchtime! I'm starving!" Honda said, walking towards the cherry tree. He had just turned in a hard as hell paper on the history of Japanese literature, and now just wanted some time to relax. Looking around, he didn't see any of his friends. Well, they were all coming from different parts of the school. And while he waited, he could start eating. Cold pizza, yum! While he was eating, he wondered why Jou had looked so shocked earlier. He had passed Jou's class while he went to get some water last period, and the blonde looked even more out of it than usual. 'Wonder if the principal said anything. Well it's his fault for getting into so much trouble.'

Leaning against the trunk of the tree, he pushed a random strand of brown hair behind his ear. "It's such a nice day," he said, looking up at the sky. "Too bad I'm stuck in school." He then heard someone call his name, and he looked towards the building to see Yugi and Malik walk up. "About time you got here."

"Sorry. Malik wouldn't stop clinging to me," Yugi said, motioning to Malik who was indeed clutching the shorter boy's arm tightly.

"So where are the others?" Malik asked.

"Ryou's coming now," Honda said, pointing to the British teen that was currently walking towards them. "As for Jou, I don't know."

"He's not still in the principal's office, is he?" asked Yugi, as he attempted to pry the Egyptian off himself.

"No, he was in class," Ryou said, dropping his bag on the ground. "He wouldn't stop dazing off though. The teacher had to lecture him four times. But when the bell rang, he ran off. Don't know where he went."

"Isn't that him over there by the doors?" Malik asked as he clung to Yugi's arm tighter. The other three looked over, and sure enough, they saw Jou at the doors talking to some girl.

"Well, that's great. He blows us off to go flirt with some chick," Honda said, annoyed that Jou hadn't told him he liked someone.

"Well, he's coming over now," stated Yugi. "Malik, I can't feel my arm!"

"So?"

"Clinging to me won't get you my desert."

"…I love you?"

"No."

Before Malik could start begging, Jou walked up to them with a sly smile on his face. The mysterious girl was following behind, a textbook in front of her head so the others couldn't tell who she was. "Hey guys," Jou said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Ryou responded slowly. "What's up with you?"

"Nothin' much. Got a surprise, though."

"Really now? What is it?" asked Honda.

The girl then moved the textbook, and the four boys gasped. "Hi guys! Long time no see."

"A-Anzu! It's you!" Yugi exclaimed. He ran up to her and pulled her in a hug, as did the others. "When did you get back?"

"Sunday," the girl replied. "I never thought I'd get to come back though."

"I thought you moved to Tokyo for good," Malik said, finally having let go of Yugi's arm.

"So did I, but my mom and I missed Domino so much, we decided to move back. My dad is still there, but he's going to come stay with us on the weekends."

"That's awesome!" Honda said. "Now the whole group is back together."

"I missed you guys a lot," Anzu said with a smile. "None of you have changed a bit."

"Well, you have definitely changed. You've grown out," Jou commented, with a smirk.

"Yep. You haven't changed a bit, Jou," Anzu said, rolling her eyes. "Still getting in trouble and getting called to the principal's office." Jou semi glared at her, but Anzu brushed it off. "So, I want to know everything that's been happening while I've been gone. And don't leave out any of Jou's most embarrassing moments."

"Oi!"

The group spent all of lunch catching up, and by the time lunch had finished they had made plans for about a month to hang out. When the bell rang, Yugi and Anzu were walking to their last class, which, coincidentally, they had together. "So Yugi, everything going ok with you and your jii-chan?"

"Yep. The store is doing ok, and things have been going great." 'At least that's what I want everyone to think.'

"That's good to hear. You know, out of everyone I think I missed you the most," Anzu said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Me? Why?"

"Well, we've been friends since day care. I've known you longest, so I feel as if I have a stronger connection with you. Besides, no one in Tokyo was as kind as you."

"You're just saying that," Yugi replied, a blush covering his cheeks.

"No seriously," Anzu said with a shake of her head. "Everyone there was always concerned with looks, and clothes, and expensive cars. They were all so materialistic. Not like you, who accepts people for who they are, not for what they can buy."

Yugi smiled at her. "It's great having you back, Anzu."

"It's great to be back."

-----

'Thank the gods for chocolate,' Yami thought as he took a bite of his chocolate bar. It was his favorite food in the world. Nothing beats chocolate, especially when it's filled with caramel. He had a habit of bingeing on it whenever he was having trouble making a big decision. 'Some people bite their lips, others pace, I engorge myself on chocolate. But who cares, it's good.' Yes, the wonderfully sweet confection was the king's biggest weakness. Well…that and Yugi.

Ah, yes. Yugi. That was the reason why he was currently stuffing his face with chocolate. He just couldn't make a final decision. Erase the memories? Don't erase the memories? The action itself was so simple, but it wasn't the action that he was having trouble with. He could erase Yugi's memories in a second with his eyes closed. It was actually finding the will to perform said action that had him so messed up. He just couldn't find a single part of himself that wanted to do it. Just thinking of himself erasing Yugi's memories made his heart ache. There was no way he would be able to do it in his current position. Once the memories were gone, they could never come back. And Yugi would forget him forever.

Yami shifted his left leg, and let it hang to the floor. He was currently lying on the bench outside his balcony, dressed in nothing but a white, silk robe. Marik had left a while ago, and since he had nothing better to do, he decided to think some more on the subject. What to do? What to do! Damnit, one would think it would get easier. But nope, it was still hard as ever to think of an answer. But the Shadow didn't want to think of an answer. He just wanted to keep everything as they were now. Yet he had to make a choice. The safety of his people depended on it. And as King, his people came first.

'Marik was right. If I weren't King, I wouldn't have to bother with this shit. In times like this, I wish someone else were King. So that they can deal with this stuff. If I wasn't King, I could be as selfish as I want. Sometimes…sometimes I wish I could just give up the crown.' Yami just wasn't happy. He looked at others and saw how happy they were, living a carefree life, and he was jealous. He wanted to have that. He wanted to act like a normal seventeen year old boy, and not like the Great Master of the Shadow Race. He wanted a normal life, and…he wanted to share it with someone. Someone special. Someone like Yugi.

No. Not 'like' Yugi. Definitely Yugi. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with the human, but it was impossible. There were so many reasons why it couldn't be between them. One: Yugi was a human. Two: His knowledge of the Shadow race was a threat, even though Yami knew that Yugi would never tell anyone. Three: Shadow laws forbid interaction between races. Four: Seto and the others wouldn't let him. Five: Yugi would most likely not want that. No matter how close they became as friends, the human probably wouldn't want to spend all his time with the Shadow. And that knowledge hurt a lot.

'He's probably happier now that I'm gone. He can spend time with his friends, and not worry over me. If I went back, I'd just be a burden. I want him to be happy, and not have to worry about anything. But for him to be happy, I have to be unhappy. That is completely not fair, but…if it's for Yugi, I'll do it. I'd do anything just to make him happy. It is better that he forgets me. To make him happy.' Yami ran a hand through his hair, sat up and let out a long whistle. A second later, one of his messenger birds landed next to him. It chirped in greeting, and Yami let it hop on his hand.

"I want to know when he goes out. To the movies, the arcade, whatever. I need to know it." The bird cocked its head to the left, and let out a few chirps. Yami closed his eyes, and sighed. "He's going out tonight?" An affirmative chirp. "Fine. I'll go see him tonight. Then I'll erase his memories." The bird bowed its head and took off. Yami just sat there, placing his head in his hands.'So, it's time. I really don't want to do this, but…it is for the best. Tonight, I'll say goodbye for the last time.'

-------

The phone rang in the Mouto residence, but no one answered it. Once, twice, ten times it rang. Upstairs, footsteps could be heard running back and forth, and Yugi suddenly burst from his room. Jumping down the stairs two at a time, he rushed into the living room where he dived over the couch to grab the phone. "Hello?" he answered, very out of breath.

"Well, thanks for keeping me waiting," Ryou's voice teased.

"Sorry, I was getting dressed," Yugi replied, slipping his light blue, tank top over his head.

"Are you almost ready?" Honda asked when he took the phone away from Ryou.

"Yea. Just gotta put on my shoes and brush my hair." Another night out with friends. They hung out at least twice a week. And while normal people would go on the weekends, this group went out whenever they pleased. Originally, it was Jou's idea as a way to skip out on doing his homework. A typical Jou plan.

This time they were heading to see a movie. Since Anzu was back, they were going out to celebrate. They'd see a movie, then head to their favorite restaurant for a really late dinner. A perfect welcome home celebration. And what movie were they going to see? Why, Scary Movie 4 of course. Anzu loved comedies, so it was fitting that she chose the movie. In reality, Yugi had been dying to see this movie as well.

"Ok, we'll be over in twenty minutes. If Malik ever decides on a shirt," Honda complained.

Yugi chuckled and shook his head. "He's as bad as Anzu."

"Yea, but she's ready. Malik isn't. There's the difference."

"What about Jou?"

"He's coming. After he gets here, we'll leave Ryou's house to pick up Malik then you. Then we'll go as a group to get Anzu."

"Sounds good. Call me when you're coming. Bye." Yugi hung up, then dashed back upstairs. Ok, so he was sort of lying when he said he was almost ready. The only thing that he had gotten done was putting on his shirt. He wanted to look nice tonight. After all, he hadn't seen Anzu in half a year. It wasn't often that a friend, not to mention your former crush, moves back after being away for so long. He had seriously thought he would never see her again, and he was immensely happy that he was wrong.

Putting on a pair of baggy black pants, Yugi thought back to the first time he realized he had a crush on the brunette. It was a normal Saturday during summer two years ago, and the group was at Honda's house since he had a pool. It was nighttime, and the moon was shining brightly in the cloudless sky. Malik was chasing Ryou with a water gun, Jou and Honda were pigging out at the barbeque, and he and Anzu were racing in the pool. It was just a normal Saturday like any other. Or it started out that way.

Anzu had said something to him. Yugi couldn't remember what it was or what his reply was, but he remembered she laughed. He always loved her laughter. Light and sweet. Very contagious. If she was laughing, you laughed too. He remembered she pulled herself out of the pool and sat on the edge, her legs still in the water. It was at that moment. The moonlight glistened off her pale skin, the water drops reflecting the light and making her glow. Her blue eyes were full of happiness, and she smiled at him. A special smile that she had just for him, just for her oldest friend.

It was at that moment he started to like her. That one, seemingly normal moment changed how he thought of her completely. That was two years ago. During those two years, though, his crush had started to fade. She was still one of his best friends, and he loved her like a sister, but that was all. There was no deep-rooted affection for the girl. He didn't know when it was that his feelings once again began to change, but it didn't matter. No one ever knew he liked Anzu, and it was ok. It was no longer a big deal.

And in a way, he was happy that he no longer had feelings for her. Because if he did, it would make loving Yami hard. But even if he did still like her, it would in no way compare to the way he felt about the Shadow King. Yugi glanced at his bracelet as he put on a plain, white vest, and smiled. The difference to how he felt about Anzu and how he felt about Yami was immense. While he liked Anzu and thought she was very pretty, he absolutely LOVED Yami and thought he was…well…perfect. Really, there was no room for anyone else in his heart.

Yugi walked over to his mirror to look over his outfit. He buttoned up the single button in the middle of his vest, and smiled. Not bad. Opting to go without his usual leather choker, he put on two simple chain necklaces with a single blue bead in the center of each. Black sneakers completed his outfit, and he rushed to the bathroom to do his hair. He had to hurry or else the others would arrive before he was done. Normally, it wasn't his outfit that took a while. It was his hair. Darn his hair and it's refusal to be tamed! But whatever. No matter how well he brushed it now, it would end up a tangled mess by the end of the night. It always did.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later. "Yugi, your friends are here!" Sugoroku called, letting the others in.

"Ok! I'm ready," the teen replied as he bounded down the stairs. He and the others rushed out into the night, vaguely hearing Sugoroku telling them to be careful. They had more important things to think of. The group hurried along, taking familiar paths and streets till they finally reached Anzu's house. It was the same as they all remembered. A two story, white walled house with a large front yard full of rose bushes. They ran up the driveway, and rang the bell. A minute later Anzu rushed out, eager to start the fun. With a wave to her mother they headed towards the theater. Tonight would be great!

------

Tonight would so not be great. Yami sat on his bed staring at his crown that was beside him. Tonight was the night. The night where he would erase Yugi's memories of him and his people forever. The night where he would lose the person he loved forever. But there was no turning back. He had finally made his decision, and he never changed his mind once he was set on something. This was it. The final act. And gods, did he hate his life right now.

A fluttering by the window caught his attention, and he turned to see one of his birds perched on the railing of the balcony. The bird's crimson eyes stared into his own before taking off again. Silently, Yami got up and walked over to his dresser, and placed the crown on top. He didn't want to go as the King. He wanted to go as a teenager. To see the only person who ever thought of and treated him like a normal person.

Turning around, he looked at the night sky, and took a deep breath. It was early spring, and the air was so clean and crisp. It was still cool from winter, and yet he could sense the light warmth on the air, the hint that summer would come soon. He loved spring, when everything was in bloom. It was all brand new, starting over from the beginning to make itself beautiful again. The flowers, the trees, the animals, all starting over to grow strong. It was really an incredible time of year.

The King headed towards the balcony, the black cape he was wearing billowing out behind him. He was in all black that night. Black boots, black pants, black shirt. He had to blend in with the night, lest anyone other than Yugi saw him. He spread out his wings, a few black feathers flying about, and was about to take off when a cough caught his attention. Yami turned around to see Seto, Marik, Bakura, and Otogi standing by his bed.

"Going somewhere?" asked Seto.

"You know what I'm doing," Yami said, turning back around.

"So this is it?" Bakura asked. "You are really going to do it?"

"Of course I am. I always stick to my plans, you know that."

"Yami…are you really ok with this?" questioned Otogi.

"…Do you want the truth?"

"It would be best."

"I am not ok with this. I don't want to do this for anything in the world, but I have no choice," the King said, leaning against the railing.

"But you know this is for the best," Seto said. "You do this to protect your people."

"I know! But…I just can't stand the thought of loosing someone important to me."

"There is no other way, you know that," Otogi commented.

"I know. I wish there was, but it's pointless to wish for something like that."

"So what will you do?" Bakura asked him.

"I'm not going to tell him what I'll do. If I told him, he would start protesting, and I know I wouldn't be able to argue."

"So…"

"So I'll just act as if I've come to see him, then when he least expects it, I'll do it."

"And you think you'll be able to pull it off?" Seto asked.

Yami didn't answer. He just stood at the balcony with his back turned to the other four. If he answered 'yes' it would probably be a lie. He would try to do it, he really would. But…in the end his whole plan might break apart. There were just so many things that could happen. So many thoughts that might pop up just as he was about to do it. So many feelings that may stop him. He would try to follow through with the plan, but there was no guarantee that in the end he would. So he wasn't going to answer them. He wasn't sure, and they knew it as well.

"Try to come back soon," Otogi said. "It's almost eleven thirty."

Yami nodded, then took off into the sky, flying away quickly just because he didn't want to be anywhere near the palace at the moment. The others stood there and watched as he disappeared into the night, then turned and walked out of the room. All except Marik, who continued to watch the skies. 'Good luck, Yami,' he thought with a smirk before walking out. Hopefully tonight everything would go according to plan.

------

"That was the funniest movie I've seen in forever!" Ryou laughed as the group walked out of the restaurant. They were all cracking up as they thought back to the movie. Watching Scary Movie 4 was definitely a good idea. It was so funny, they were laughing during the whole thing.

"Hey, Honda!" Jou said as he tried to calm his laughter. "Did it have a nose?"

"Yes."

"That sounds like a face!" the whole group said at the same time, before bursting out in laughter again.

"Man, I missed hanging out with you guys," Anzu said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "It was so boring in Tokyo. The people there would never do something like this."

"What? Go to a movie then dinner?" Malik asked.

"No, they did that. They just wouldn't have as much fun. And they wouldn't see something like Scary Movie 4."

"But it's such an awesome movie!" Yugi said. "Although it was a bit annoying to hear them making fun of Japanese."

"I found it amusing," Honda said. "Especially when the kid disappeared and said 'Sashimi!'"

"That was funny," Malik commented with a chuckle. "But then again, I'm not Japanese, so it doesn't bother me."

"Oh man!" Anzu cried, looking at her watch. "It's almost midnight! I have to get home, or my mom will be angry!"

"I should get home too," Ryou said. "We have school tomorrow, and Malik and I have a test in history."

"That's tomorrow!" Malik yelled. "I thought it was Friday! Crap, we gotta go!" He grabbed Ryou and Anzu's hands and the three of them ran off, yelling out goodbye before disappearing in the crowd.

"I should head home too," Honda said. "Before my parents yell at me. Bye."

Jou and Yugi said goodbye, before they headed towards the park. The two friends decided to just hang out for a while longer, and what better place to do that than the park? The place was almost deserted at this time, save the few couples that walked along. The park at night was great. They walked on for a while, just talking about random stuff. "Man, today was great!" Jou said.

"Yea. It was definitely a change. I still can't believe she's back," Yugi replied. "At least now things will be more interesting."

"I bet you're really happy dat she's back," Jou said with a smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"Nuttin'. I just figured, ya know, now dat she's back you would…"

"…I would what?"

"Ya know, ask her out."

"WHAT!" Yugi stopped in his tracks to stare at his friend. What the hell brought that on? Did Jou know that he used to like Anzu? Was he that obvious back then?

"You sound so surprised," Jou said, chuckling at Yugi's shocked expression. "I always knew you had a thing for her."

"But…how?"

"Ya think ya can keep something like dat from your best friend? So, are ya gonna ask her out?"

"No."

"Aw. Why not?" the blonde asked as they headed over towards a drink machine. Putting in a dollar, two cans fell out and Jou handed one to Yugi.

"Because I don't like her like that anymore. I haven't for a long time."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess in the end I realized she wasn't the one."

"And have you found the one?"

"…no. I haven't." 'That's complete bull, but…then again, maybe it isn't. If Yami was the one, then we would be able to be together. But we can't, so he must not be it.'

"Well, I'm sure ya will one day. But ya know, ya can always date Anzu while ya are waitin'," said Jou.

"No. I'm happy with being friends." Yugi sighed, and looked at the sky. 'I don't want to date anyone. I don't want to be with anyone but Yami. I guess that means I'll be alone forever."

"Yea, I guess you're right. Besides, it would be awkward if ya two got in a fight." Jou then took a sip a drink. "Damn, I'm finished."

"Me too. There was a trashcan a few minutes back," Yugi said, pointing behind him.

"I'll go throw dem away. You keep goin', but be careful," Jou warned as he ran off in the opposite direction.

'I'll be careful, but then again I really don't need to be. I know I'll always be safe,' Yugi thought with a smile, holding the bracelet to his heart. He walked along in silence for a few minutes, just listening to the wind blow softly in the trees. It was a nice night, the waxing moon was shining brightly in the cloudless sky. 'It's almost time for the full moon again. I remember Yami saying that the moon gave him strength. So a full moon must help a lot. I hope it does. His wing should be healed by now. He's probably always flying.'

Yugi smiled, and started to twist the bracelet around. 'He better be careful that he doesn't hurt it again. If he couldn't fly again, he'd probably go crazy.' He chuckled softly, and continued to walk along. 'Where is Jou? It can't take that long to throw away two cans. He probably got lost on his way back, or something shiny distracted him. No wait…that would be Malik.'

He then noticed the wind was dying down, and everything was quiet. Not even the crickets were chirping anymore. There was just silence, and Yugi didn't like it. 'Maybe I should go back and find Jou. This is getting a bit creepy.' The teen clutched the bracelet tightly with his right hand, and took a deep breath. 'No. I'm going to go on. Jou will catch up in a bit, and nothing can hurt me as long as I have this. Just calm down and go on…slowly.' So that was what he did, going along slowly and looking around for any movement.

For about a minute it was fine, when he noticed that the three lampposts in front of him were turned off. Now that was definitely not a good thing. Why should those three be off when the rest were on and shining brightly? And since each lamp was about eight feet apart, there was a HUGE area that was completely pitch black in front of him. And the moon didn't help any. What should he do? Go on? Turn around? 'Maybe I should call Jou. Find out where he is.' But just as he was about to grab his phone from his pocket, he heard a rustling in the trees. He stopped moving, and looked around.

'Ok, really not liking this. I'm going to walk away now.' Yugi made a move to head back, when suddenly a black figure dropped from one of the trees in front of him. It landed next to the middle lamppost that was turned off, and slowly stood up and looked at him. 'Ok, now that is my cue to walk away…so…why am I not walking away?' For some reason his body wouldn't move. No matter how much he willed his legs to run, they just stood there. It wasn't as if he couldn't, it was just…for some reason he didn't want to. 'What's going on? Why can't I leave?'

The figure started to walk towards him slowly, and Yugi's heart started to beat faster and faster. Was he scared? Hell yes! But at the same time there was something that seemed familiar about the person in front of him. What it was currently escaped him, because he was too busy staring at the other. Though staring really didn't help at all, because the person was dressed all in black. 'Very stalker like.' The person was even wearing a black cloak with the hood covering the head.

'Who is this person? Why can't I move? Why…does this person seem familiar?' The longer he stood there, the less afraid he was. It was like a voice whispering in the back of his mind, telling him not to be afraid. Telling him that he was safe, even though the rest of his mind screamed at him to get the hell out of there. But guess which voice was winning. And so while the person came closer and closer to him, Yugi just stood there and watched.

And then the person was six feet in front of him, standing next to the unlit lamppost. Body covered in black, surrounded by darkness. Neither said a word, nor moved a muscle. They just stood there, looking at each other. It was totally quiet, and the wind had finally died down completely. And while the other person looked calm, Yugi was freaking out inside. This was his last chance to run, and he still couldn't. All he could do was watch the other. And for a minute that was all they did, when suddenly the other person removed the hood.

"Hello, Yugi."

-----

There he was. Standing right in front of him. Yugi. The person that occupied his thoughts every waking moment. And yet Yami couldn't do a thing but look at him. Yugi was exactly as he remembered. Soft, pale skin, rosy cheeks, and those beautiful amethyst eyes. 'He's so beautiful.' He just wanted to take the boy in his arms again and never let go. But he couldn't. He was here for a reason, and he had to follow through with it. But it had just become harder to do so. 'Ok, let's just get this over with. The longer I take, the more it'll hurt once it's done.' So he removed his hood, and Yugi gasped in surprise. The boy just stood there, eyes wide as he stared.

"Y-Yami?" Yugi whispered. It wasn't possible. It just couldn't be real! He must have been imagining this, because Yami was far away now. He wouldn't come back…he _couldn't_! But…but…there was no way this was real! It was a dream. A dream! But then…why were tears starting to form?

"Long time no see," Yami replied with a soft smile. 'Please don't cry. Please don't cry because of me.'

"I…I must be dreaming," Yugi continued to whisper, shaking his head slowly. "You can't…you can't really be here." More tears started to build up in his eyes, and one started to flow down his cheek. 'Don't be a dream. Please don't be a dream. Please be real.'

"You aren't dreaming. I'm really here," Yami replied, holding out a hand.

Yugi looked at it warily, before slowly walking towards the other. More and more tears started to form, and they were streaming down his cheeks rapidly. This was crazy! It was just a dream…wasn't it? It just couldn't be real! But he just had to find out. So he walked up to the other, and stopped a few feet in front of him. He continued to look at the hand, before hesitantly lifting his own. This was it. The moment of truth. The moment that might break his heart beyond repair. Yugi took a deep, shuddering breath and reached over and brushed his fingers against Yami's.

And suddenly it was as if a lock burst open, and Yugi threw himself into Yami's arms, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "It's you! It really is you!" he cried, holding onto the other tightly. "You're back, I can't believe it! You're came back! I thought I'd never see you again. I missed you so much! I missed you so so so so much!"

Yami smiled as he held Yugi close, tears of joy threatening to fall from his eyes. It had been far too long since he had held Yugi, and he never wanted to let go. "I missed you too, Yugi. More than anything. I missed you so much." 'I'm so glad I get to hold him once again, even if this is the last time.' The King breathed in the scent of strawberries and his heart fluttered.

"I can't believe you're back. I thought…I thought you were gone forever," Yugi said as he continued to cry. For once he didn't mind the tears. This wasn't a dream! Yami was really back! He was back! And even if it was a dream, Yugi never wanted to wake up. He didn't want to wake up to a world where Yami was gone, and he was alone. "You came back! You came back! I'm so happy you came back."

"No crying, Yugi," Yami said, gently wiping the tears away with his thumb. "I don't like it when you cry," he said with a smile, looking deep into the human's eyes.

Yugi sniffed and smiled back at him. His heart felt like it would burst from joy. It was a miracle, a perfectly wonderful miracle. He still couldn't believe that Yami had returned, and that this wasn't a dream. It was too wonderful for words. The tears kept falling silently, but he didn't bother with them. He was just content to be in Yami's arms again. "I never thought you would come back."

"I came to see you," Yami replied.

"Me? But why? You had finally gone home."

"I just had to see you again. I couldn't stop thinking about you, and there is something I need to tell you," the King said softly.

'He couldn't stop thinking about me? But why? I'm nothing special?' "What is it?"

"Not here," Yami said, shaking his head. "Come with me," he said, taking Yugi's hand gently.

Yugi's heart fluttered in his chest. Even though it wasn't a dream, it sure felt like one. Being reunited with the one he loved, with the person he thought was lost to him forever. It just seemed too perfect, and yet here he was. He didn't protest at all when Yami started to lead him towards the trees. He would follow the Shadow to the ends of the earth and beyond if it meant that they could be together. Just the two of them.

But trouble was about to happen as in that moment Jou turned the corner and saw the two. He had not seen what happened earlier. All he saw was a strange man holding Yugi, and Yugi crying. And Jou being Jou and being overly protective of his friend, he felt a surge of anger flow through him. "HEY!" he cried out.

Both Yami and Yugi stopped when they heard Jou shout out. They turned around, and saw him running towards them. Yugi was shocked and worried, and Yami was just pissed. 'Damn it,' the King thought. 'Why didn't I notice this human's scent before?'

"Jou! When did you get here?" Yugi asked, wondering how much his friend had seen.

"What da hell do ya think ya are doing?" Jou asked Yami. "Let 'im go!" he yelled, reaching to grab Yugi's other arm. But before he could, Yami pulled the boy close to him and wrapped his arms around him, growling lightly.

"Jou, please calm down! It's fine! He's my friend!" Yugi said, trying to prevent an argument. Jou wouldn't stand a chance against Yami if anything happened.

"Then how come I've never met 'im before?" Jou asked, glaring at the other. It was then that he realized this stranger and Yugi looked almost alike. Other than the height, the eyes, and the blonde bangs, they could have been twins. But there was something about this person that wasn't normal. It wasn't…human.

"I wouldn't want to be associated with you," Yami spat, holding Yugi closer. At this rate he would never get anything done. Maybe he should have put a barrier up. But it was too late for that.

"Who asked ya, jackass? What are ya gonna do with 'im?"

"That's none of your business! Now leave us!"

"Like hell I will! I'm not gonna let ya have 'im!"

"Jou, calm down. Everything's fine!" Yugi said. "Nothing will happen. Trust me!"

"And how do I know dat?" the blonde asked, still glaring at Yami. It wasn't that he didn't trust Yugi, he did. He just didn't trust this new guy at all.

Of course Yami felt the same. He recognized the boy from that picture in Yugi's living room, and knew that he was Yugi's friend. But at this moment he didn't care. He was here to see Yugi, not get in an argument with a stupid human. If it came to it, he would put this one under a spell. He would try not to for Yugi's sake, but he couldn't be blamed for it if it happened.

"Listen to me," Yugi continued. "He's my friend. He won't do anything, I swear. So calm down, please. He just wanted to talk."

"At midnight? Dat sounds a little fishy ta me."

"We just happened to run into each other. Everything is ok."

"I still don't trust him."

"Jou, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just go on home."

"Hell no! I'm not leaving ya alone with dis freak!"

"Watch who you are insulting," Yami growled, bearing his fangs slightly. Jou noticed them, and took a step back, feeling a chill creep down his spine. Yugi saw this and quickly covered Yami's mouth with his hands.

"Stop it, both of you. Jou, trust me. I'll be fine, so go on home."

Jou looked at Yugi for a minute, before sighing. "Fine. But leave your phone on, so I can call."

"I will, I promise. But please don't tell anyone else about this."

"Fine," the blonde said before turning to glare at Yami once again. "If he has so much as a scratch on 'im, I'll hunt ya down and make ya pay, got dat!" Yami didn't answer him, but glared back. "Yug', be careful." Jou then turned and began to walk away, glancing back at them every now and then till he was out of sight.

"What an annoying human," Yami said.

"He's my friend, and he's just worried," Yugi said, turning around and hugging Yami. "Don't think badly of him. He's my best friend."

"Well, I'm glad he's gone. Now, come on. Let's go somewhere where no one else can bother us," the Shadow took Yugi's hand and led him into the trees, and away from the park. Soon they were in the forest, completely surrounded by trees. Yugi couldn't see any lights from the city anymore, but he wasn't scared. Yami was with him, and everything would be fine. A few minutes later they reached a clearing. It was just a large circle with no trees, and in the center was a boulder. Yami walked over to the boulder and sat down, Yugi sitting next to him. Yami just looked at him for a while, just memorizing the boy's features once again. He then pulled Yugi into a hug, holding the human tightly. "I missed you, Yugi."

"I missed you too, Yami," Yugi responded, hugging the other in return. "I was afraid you had forgotten me."

Hearing that, Yami bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly. 'I'm not the one who will be forgetting.' "I would never forget you, Yugi. Never." 'No matter what happens, I would never forget you.' The Shadow continued to hold the human close, wishing time would stop so that he could hold the boy forever. It was becoming much harder to go through with the plan. Just looking into Yugi's eyes made him want to change his mind.

"Yami, is everything ok?" Yugi asked, noticing that Yami seemed tense.

"I'm fine. Just…happy to see you. Have you been well?"

"Yes. Nothing's happened since…_that _day."

"I'm glad. I was worried that something might have happened to you."

"How is your wing?"

"It is fine," Yami replied with a smile. 'Figures he would ask about that.' "It's completely healed."

"That's great!" Yugi cheered. "I'm so glad it's better."

"Thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything useful. Just put some bandages on it."

"You took care of me. Showed me kindness and compassion despite the fact that I am not human. You didn't abandon me, and became a wonderful friend. You have done so much."

"W-well…I just did what was right," Yugi responded, looking away so that Yami wouldn't see the blush that was staining his cheeks. Yami sensed his embarrassment and smiled. Typical Yugi. The human really was cute when he blushed. "I'm sure you've been flying a lot."

"Of course. I can't stand to be earthbound for too long."

"Can…can I see them?"

Yami nodded and stood up, his large, black wings bursting from his back. Yugi watched in awe as the wings moved and folded together. Standing up, Yugi walked towards the other and slowly began to stroke the feathers. They were just as soft as before, and just as amazing. And now that the left wing was healed, Yugi could see how powerful they were together. Powerful and graceful. Strong and soft. Perfect.

The second Yugi began to stroke his wings, Yami felt all his tensions and worries drain away. Those soft hands gently caressing his feathers was an absolutely wonderful feeling, and once again he felt the urge to purr in content. Instead he let out a soft, content sigh and moved his wings softly against the human's hand. It was then that he remembered his promise to the boy. "Hey, Yugi."

"Yes?" Yugi asked as he continued to pet the Shadow's wings.

"Remember that promise I made to you?" Yami asked, wrapping his wings around the boy's frame and drawing him close.

"Which one?" Yugi asked, looking at the cocoon he was now in. And since the wings had encircled him completely, he was pressed against the King's chest. Cue another blush.

"When I promised to take you flying when my wing was healed."

"Yea? And?"

"You still up to it?"

"Are…are you serious!" Yugi asked excitedly. Yami smiled and nodded, and Yugi cheered. "That's so awesome! Of course I'm up to it!" Yugi then drew Yami into a tight hug. "I'm totally up to it!"

"Ok then," the Shadow said with a chuckle. "But you have to let go first." Yugi blushed and let go quickly. "Just climb on my back," Yami said, turning around and bending down.

"Are…Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

"You aren't scared are you?" Yami teased.

"NO! Just…can you carry me?"

"Of course I can. I think you _are_ scared," Yami said with a smirk.

"I'm not scared!" Yugi defended. "I'm just-"

"Scared."

"Cautious."

"Whatever you say, scaredy cat."

"Jerk!" Yugi replied with a pout. "You are so mean!"

"And you are so fun to tease," Yami responded with a laugh. "Just get on. Nothing will happen to you. I promise." Yugi glared at him, but slowly walked over to the other. Reaching out, he softly stroked the left wing a bit before climbing on. He wrapped his arms around Yami's neck, and his legs around the other's waist, holding on tightly. "See, that wasn't hard."

"We aren't in the air yet."

"True," Yami said, standing up. "Let's fix that." He suddenly took off into the air, and Yugi squeaked in surprise, closing his eyes and holding on even tighter. He heard the wind rushing past, and could feel the wings moving at his sides. "Open your eyes, Yugi."

Slowly, the human cracked open an eye before they shot open in surprise. The view was amazing! They were currently flying on the edge of the city, and Yugi could see everything. The buildings shone so brightly, and the skyscrapers seemed like huge beams of light. The people were so small from up there. He could even see the ocean on his left, the mountains to the north, and the forest completely surrounding them below. "Wow! It's so beautiful."

They hovered in the air for a few minutes before heading towards a large skyscraper. They flew up the side of the building till they reached the top, then Yami stilled his wings and they nose dived down to the next building. "Yami, don't do that!" Yugi cried, shutting his eyes again. The Shadow King just laughed and headed to another building.

"Come on, that's what's so fun about flying!" Yami said.

"It's not fun if I get a heart attack!" What Yugi wouldn't admit though was that he did find it fun. No way was he going to prove the other right. "Let's head to the sea!" So Yami sped across the sky towards the ocean, where he flew low enough so that they could feel the spray on their cheeks. Yugi giggled when the water hit him, and let his hand skim the water. It was so cool to do this. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine this would ever happen to him.

Yami smiled when he heard Yugi's laughter. Yugi was happy and that was good. That was all Yami wanted. And he was glad he could fulfill his promise before he had to erase Yugi's memories. Thinking about what he had to do saddened him, and his wings drooped slightly. Thinking it was best that they got away from water, Yami flew up into the air and headed back towards the forest. 'I shouldn't waste too much time. I have to do this quickly or I'll loose my determination.'

"I really am glad that you are back, Yami," Yugi said, resting his head on the Shadow's shoulder. "Things just seemed bleak when you left."

'No, don't say that. Tell me that you were happier with me gone.'

"I…couldn't stop thinking of you either. I was always wishing that you would come back to me."

'Please don't say that. Tell me you wanted me to leave. Say you want me out of your life forever.'

"I wish you didn't have to leave again. I wish that we could always be like this. Just us two."

That was the last straw. Yami couldn't take it anymore. Yugi wanted them to stay friends. He wanted them to hang out always, to always spend time with each other. He didn't want anything to get in between them. It was everything Yami wanted. Exactly what Yami wanted. Now it had become impossible to erase the boy's memories. It hurt too much to think of it. How could he, knowing that Yugi wanted the opposite.

"Yami?" Yugi called. The King had stopped flying, and they were now hovering above the forest. The other had closed his eyes tightly, and hung his head. He was now silent, and Yugi sensed that something was worrying him. "Yami, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," the other replied, opening his eyes and beginning a slow glide above the treetops. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About…how things have been going since I returned home. Life seems more hectic. I have so much work, so little time, and I'm not concentrating on it at all. I immerse myself in work but rarely get anything done."

"Why?"

"You want the truth?" Yugi nodded. "I just couldn't stop thinking of you. I was always wondering what you were doing, where you were, if you were safe. The others were so angry with me, but I didn't care. Because no matter what I did, my thoughts went back to you."

"Oh," Yugi said, feeling a bit embarrassed. He didn't realize exactly _how_ much he was on the other's mind. But it was the same for him. No matter what he did, he just couldn't forget the Shadow. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess…I felt as if our time together had been cut too short," the Shadow King replied, pumping his wings to propel them upwards. "I felt this great need to see you again. Even if it was only once."

'Once? Does that mean…that he'll leave me again? I don't want him to leave. I would do anything to keep him in my life forever.' "Do your friends know that you are here?"

"Yes."

"Are they mad that you have come to see me again?" Yugi asked, closing his eyes and feeling the wind rush past them.

"A bit. They don't want me to see you again because they feel as if you are a threat to my people's safety. They think you will betray me and reveal our secret to the world."

"I would never do that!"

"I know that. _I_ know that, but they don't. They can't trust humans. No matter what I tell them. But I don't care if they trust humans or not. I know that I can trust you no matter what."

"I hope that you and your friends aren't arguing because of me. I would hate to be the cause of your friendship breaking apart."

"No, we haven't gotten in fights." 'If you don't count the deal with Seto, and the arguments we have everyday.' "They wouldn't dare argue with me once I'm fed up with them."

"But still…" Yugi opened his eyes half way and looked at the other. 'I still can't believe this is real. It really does seem like a dream that he's back.' Yami caught his glance and smiled at him. Yugi returned the smile, then pressed his cheek against the other's. "I'm so glad you came back, Yami."

"Yea…me too. But…I can't stay much longer," the King said, heading back towards the clearing in the forest.

"But, you will come back…right?" Yugi asked hopefully, but Yami didn't answer. "Yami?"

"…I don't know," Yami answered quietly.

"But…you can't leave forever. Not again," Yugi said, shutting his eyes tightly. "You can't leave forever."

"Yugi, I can't…I have a duty to my people as their King. I can't always be leaving them." Yami landed on the ground near the boulder, and Yugi jumped off and turned his back to the Shadow. "Yugi, please understand."

"Then why did you come back tonight?" Yugi asked, clutching the fabric of his jeans tightly in his hands. "If you knew that you could never return after this, why did you come?"

"Because I had to. I couldn't go on without seeing you again. I didn't care if it was only one time. I would be happy with that."

"But _I'm _not happy!" Yugi yelled, feeling tears build in his eyes. "Didn't you think that _I_ might not be happy with just once? Didn't you think that maybe _I_ wanted you to stay? Or at least come back often?"

"I did!" Yami yelled. "I did think about that! But I just couldn't stay away. I had to see you again, no matter what!"

"You are so selfish!" Yugi cried, the tears beginning their decent down his cheeks. "How could you only think about yourself! If you only came here to satisfy your needs, then you should never have come at all!"

"…You don't meant that," Yami said quietly.

"I don't know," Yugi sobbed. "I missed you so much. I never thought I would ever see you again. But then you came back. You came back to me, and I was so happy. But…now I find out that I'm going to lose you again. Maybe forever, and I don't want that."

"I don't want that either," Yami said, walking up to the human and pulling him into an embrace. "I don't want to go back and lose you forever. But there is nothing I can do. My people come first, and I have to be there for them."

"I don't care," Yugi replied, sobs racking his body. "I don't care about any of them. I just want you. I want to be the selfish one this time. I don't want you to leave me. I don't want to be alone again."

Yami closed his eyes and rest his chin on Yugi's head. 'What should I do? I have to erase his memories, but at the same time…I can't leave him. Knowing he wants me in his life, I just can't leave him.' "I just don't know what to do, Yugi. I don't want to leave you, but I have to rule over my people. I have to make a sacrifice to keep them safe."

"Why? Why do you have to make a sacrifice?"

"It's part of being the King. I have to do things I don't want."

"But why can't you come see me every once in a while? Why do you have to leave forever? I don't want to lose you! It's not fair!"

"Because it's for the best," Yami said, biting his lip to keep tears from building in his own eyes. 'Damn it! Why does this have to be so hard? Why does he want me around? Why can't he just hate me. Then things would be much easier.'

"Why is it for the best? Why can't you just be selfish again?" 'Don't do this. Please don't leave me again. I don't want to lose someone else I love.'

"Because…I can't. I want to be selfish, but I can't. I don't want to leave you, but I have no choice. Can't you understand? I have no choice. I'm sorry."

"But why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why did you come back? Why can't you stay? Why do you have to leave me?"

"It is my duty as King. And…I know that if I don't leave…I'll probably never go back to them." Yugi looked up at him with teary eyes, and Yami felt his heart break. "I don't want to go back. I want to stay here, but I can't. I can't abandon them, but I don't want to abandon you either." 'I should do it now. It would be best that I do it now, even though my heart will be ripped to shreds.'

"Yami, you are the most important person in my life. I just can't lose you. I don't want to be alone again. It's just not fair that I have to lose you! It's not fair!"

The Shadow bit his lip again. 'I…I can't do it. I can't leave him. I don't want to hurt him. I love him too much. But…' "Yugi, I promise you won't ever be alone. I'll stay with you always."

Yugi looked up at him in shock. "B-but you said…"

"I know, but…damnit, I don't care! I can't leave you. I could never leave you." Yami held him tightly, and buried his face in the boy's hair, breathing in the sweet scent of strawberries. "I can't be without you."

"P-promise?" Yugi asked, his amethyst eyes full of hope and trust

"I promise. But, I have to go back to them. You understand that I can't stay in this human city. But I'll come visit you every chance I get."

"But you promise to stay with me? Always?"

"Yes, I'll stay with you always."

"Don't lie. Please, don't lie," Yugi begged, shaking his head. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. I promise you won't." Just then Yugi's watch beeped one, and Yami sighed. It was very late, and the boy had to go to school tomorrow. This was it. The last chance he had to erase Yugi's memories. His promise…he would have to break it. As much as that thought bothered him, there was nothing else he could do. But…maybe he didn't have to break it completely. Maybe he could bend it. Watch over Yugi like he had been doing. It would be good enough. "It's getting late. You have to get home."

"I don't want to go home. I just want to stay here," Yugi replied, holding onto the other tighter.

"You have to. Your jii-chan is expecting you back, and the others are expecting me as well." Yugi just shook his head, and Yami sighed again. The Shadow could feel Yugi's sadness radiating off him in waves, and it hurt. To know he was the cause of the human's pain and heartache. That hurt more than anything. "Yugi, please don't be sad."

"How can you expect me not to be sad? Knowing that you might leave me again."

"Just relax," Yami said. Taking a deep breath, he placed two fingers on Yugi's forehead, and whispered a spell. A soft purple-blue light shone from his fingertips, and Yugi felt a warmth flow through him, then a wave of exhaustion. But he felt comforted, and calm. Like all his worries were being chased away. His eyes drooped shut, and he placed his head on Yami's shoulder. "When you wake up you'll be happy. I promise."

"I don't want to lose you," Yugi whispered, before sleep took over. His grip loosened, and he hung limply in the King's arms.

"You won't. I swear," Yami replied, softly. He held Yugi's limp body tightly, wishing he never had to let go. But it was time for him to leave. Time for them to be separated once again. He gently lifted Yugi's body into his arms, holding him close as he took off into the sky. He flew towards Yugi's house, going as slowly as possible. But it still seemed too soon when he reached the house. With a flick of his wrist, Yugi's bedroom window opened, and Yami flew in. He gently placed Yugi on the bed, and covered him.

Taking a step back, he just stood there and looked at the sleeping teen. It really wasn't fair that he was forced to leave the human. It was like a cruel punishment. He finally met someone he truly cared for, someone he wished to be with forever, and he wasn't allowed to even speak to him. Why was fate so horrible? What did he do to deserve such misery? What did Yugi do? "Goodbye, Yugi," the Shadow King said, bending down and brushing his lips against the human's forehead.

Yami walked over to the window, taking one last look at the teen before flying out. He hovered over Yugi's house for a minute, before flying away quickly. He wasn't heading home. He just needed some time alone, and he'd come back when he felt like it. 'I couldn't do it,' he thought as he flew around the trees in the forest. 'After everything, I couldn't erase his memories. I should have. I should have done it the second I saw him. But it's too late now. Knowing that he wants me to stay, I just can't do it. I'm being selfish again. I won't erase his memories because I want to stay in his life, but I'm going to hurt him again. I just know it. I'll make him cry again.'

He landed on a tree branch and sat down, placing a hand over his eyes. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and to clear his head, lest he go back and do something he would forever regret. 'He won't be happy. He wants me around, but I can't make him happy. All I can do is bring tears to his eyes.' He felt a single tear make it's way down his face, but he didn't care. He really didn't care about anything now. Nothing really mattered anymore. 'I didn't even get to tell him I love him. Will I ever get another chance? Or have I lost the opportunity forever?'

---------tbc--------

Star: OMG! Doesn't that make you want to cry and rip your hair out? I had trouble writing it, because I just couldn't make it as angsty as I wanted. But oh well. I'm just not in an angsty mood.

Explanation 1: **_NO, ANZU IS NOT HERE TO RUIN ANY CHANCES OF YAMI AND YUGI GETTING TOGETHER! _**My friend is obsessed with Anzu, and she gets mad when writers bash her in yaoi fics. So she **FORCED** me to add Anzu into this one. Which completely ruins my plot, because she was never supposed to be in this story in the first place. But don't worry, she is only here as a friend. She's not going to steal anyone from anyone, and she's not going to develop a crush on anyone. **SO DON'T FREAK OUT!**

Explanation 2: I've been getting some questions on the time situation. It seems that people can't get it, so I'm here to clear up the confusion.

He was at Yugi's house for three weeks. The time starts from the first chapter.

Week one: Day of battle, and when Yugi found him. Unconscious at Yugi's house. (chapter 1)

Week two: Still unconscious at Yugi's

Week three: Now awake at Yugi's (chapters 2-5)

At the end of week three on Friday Seto and the others came and took him back. (chapter 6)

So week four starts the next day, which is Saturday.

Week four: back home (this is Saturday) (chapter 7)

Week five: back home (this is the following Saturday. Also the day that Yugi talked with Isis)

Now it is the Wednesday after Yugi talked with Isis. This is the day chapter 9 takes place.

Bah, that explanation confuses me. In simpler terms: Yami was with Yugi 3 weeks, but only awake for one. It's been 12 days since he went back home. So the whole story has taken place in 6 weeks.

If you still don't understand, feel free to email me. I'll try to explain better.


	10. Meeting People

Star: Wow! I'm amazed that I've written this chapter in only a week. ;dances with Estafo;

Yami: It's a miracle. She hasn't been lazy with this one.

Star: I feel so proud of myself.

Yugi: You should feel accomplished. ;hug;

Star: Yay! ;glomps Yugi; And I'm going to update A Mask Over My Heart just as quickly…I hope

Yami: There's confidence for you.

Star: ……Estafo, attack!

Estafo: ;rabidly attacks Yami;

Star: ;ignoring Yami's screams; Anyway, I'm going to let you guys go for now so you can read the chapter!

Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue

"speech"

'thoughts'

"**_Shadow Language_**"

'_phone conversation'_

_-----_Meeting People-----

Loud annoying beeps broke through the peaceful silence of the house, jerking Yugi out of his sleep. Needless to say the boy wasn't happy. With a grunt, he picked up the clock and threw it to the ground as revenge for waking him up. He then collapsed back on his bed, and covered himself completely with the sheets. 'Wait...sheets?' Sitting back up quickly, he scanned his surroundings to find he was back in bed. "How did I get here? Wasn't I in the park with Jou?"

Yugi closed his eyes and tried to think back to yesterday night. There was something missing in his memory. Some important event…at least…it seemed important. He raised his left hand to run it through his hair when he caught a glimpse of silver. Looking down, he spotted a silver bracelet hanging from his wrist. The teen's eyes widened and he gasped. 'Yami.' Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes, falling slowly down his cheeks, but he didn't make a move to wipe them away. 'He…he came back. He really came back last night. But…' Looking up again he saw that his window was open, the curtains fluttering softly in the morning breeze. "He's gone. He's gone again. Yami left me."

The teen lay back down on the bed, curling up in a ball as he continued to cry. "He left me again," he mumbled as he sobbed. 'He promised he'd stay with me always.' How could the Shadow break his promise? How could he leave again, after saying all those things last night? Was he that selfish that he would just leave? No. No, he couldn't be. Otherwise he wouldn't have come back in the first place. But it just wasn't fair that, once again, someone close to Yugi's heart was taken away from him.

"Damnit," he whispered, "I hate this life." He didn't want to go to school today. He didn't even want to talk to any of his friends. He just wanted to waste his life away in bed, because life just wasn't worth living if he couldn't be with the one person who made him happy. With a sigh he wiped away the tear tracks from his cheeks, then buried his face in his pillow. Someone must really hate him up there. Maybe this is his punishment for getting involved with a Shadow. But it wasn't as if he had a choice. He wasn't about to leave Yami alone in the woods to bleed. He'd do it again a million times, even if he had to suffer this heartache each time.

Hearing a soft chirping by his window, Yugi raised his head slightly to look over. He saw a bird sitting on his window sill. Though it was a strange looking bird. Like a dove, except black as night, and with two long tail feathers. It glanced at the boy on the bed, before it started preening itself. Yugi watched the bird, fascinated that it found him no threat, even when he sat up to get a better look. It was really a pretty bird. The black feathers looked so soft and smooth, almost like…almost like Yami's.

"Y-Yami?" Yugi whispered, standing up quickly. It couldn't be him! Could Shadows change shape? The bird stopped grooming itself, and looked back up at Yugi. The teen gasped in shock when he caught the red eyes of the bird. IT COULDN'T BE! Yugi took a step forward, but stopped when he felt something under his foot. He lifted his foot to see he was standing on something black. Slowly, he bent down to pick it up. It was a single, black feather. Definitely one of Yami's. He then heard the bird make a sound, but when he looked up, the dove was gone.

"Was that really him?" Yugi asked out loud. No, it wasn't. It didn't…feel like Yami. Yet, in a way it did. As if a part of him was there. Did that make sense? Not really, but Yugi wasn't in a mood to delve deeper into that particular thought. It was too early, and Yugi was still too depressed. Although he did feel a bit better after seeing the bird. It was as if it really was Yami there, telling him that everything would be fine. It was like he was reassuring Yugi that he hadn't broken his promise at all, and that he really would stay with him. Even if only in spirit.

'Guess I'm going to have to settle for this, for now,' Yugi thought, sitting back down on his bed. He lay the feather on his palm while thinking back on all the times he had stroked the Shadow King's wings. Back when it was just the two of them. Back when they didn't have to deal with people finding them, or getting in their way.

In a way, Yugi was angry at the ones who took Yami away. Seto, Marik, and Bakura. If they hadn't come, Yami would still be here. They could spend all their time together. And maybe…if the time was right…Yugi could reveal his true feelings. Instead of hiding them away, like he had been doing since the moment their eyes met, back at the park that fateful night.

But Yugi knew that he couldn't really be angry at them. They had come to take Yami home. To heal him, and keep him safe from other humans. They were only doing their jobs and being caring friends. It was impossible to be really angry at them. Besides, Yami had been dying to go home since the moment he woke up. There was no way Yugi could have kept him here against his will. Even if Yugi wanted the other to stay forever. It wouldn't be right to keep him trapped here. Because eventually Yami would start hating him as well.

Yugi gently placed the feather on his bed side table. "I have to keep this safe," he thought out loud. Somewhere where his jii-chan wouldn't find it and throw it out. The feather and the bracelet were all that he had left of the Shadow. But hopefully one day he would see Yami again. Rather sooner than later. Until that day, all Yugi had were his memories and the feelings in his heart.

"Yugi?" Sugoroku called from downstairs. "Are you up yet?"

With a sigh, the teen fell back on his bed, and stared up at the ceiling. He really didn't want to go to school today. There was no was he would be able to concentrate on anything any of the teachers said. A million thoughts flew through his mind, but school was definitely not one of them. Sugoroku called out to him once again, but Yugi still didn't answer. Maybe he could skip school. He had P.E. first thing today. Not a really important class anyway.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and quickly dived under the covers. He wasn't going to pretend he was sick, but maybe his jii-chan would come to that conclusion on his own. Or maybe he would take pity on his poor, depressed, heartbroken grandson. As much as Yugi hated pity, he wouldn't mind it for today.

"Yugi, is everything ok?" Sugoroku asked, walking into his grandson's room. "You have to be at school in half an hour."

"I don't want to go," Yugi mumbled.

"Oh? And why not?" Sugoroku asked, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"I'm…not in the mood for anything," Yugi responded.

"Are you sick?" Sugoroku reached over and placed his hand on Yugi's forehead.

"No," the teen replied, gently batting away the hand. "I'm just…you know. I don't feel like doing anything ever."

"Yugi," the elder Mouto said with a sigh, "did something happen while I was away? Because when I came back, your personality had changed. And it seems to get worse everyday."

"Jii-chan," Yugi said, sitting up and looking his grandfather in the eyes. "There is _nothing_ wrong with me! You and everyone else thinks that there is something going on, but there isn't! Jeez! I get the tiniest bit less hyper and suddenly there is something wrong with me! And I don't mean to yell, but I'm just…just…" Yugi said, searching for the right word to convey how annoyed he was, "frustrated! I'm frustrated and annoyed that people can't just leave me alone for a bit!"

"Maybe…it would be best for you to stay home today," Sugoroku said quietly, stunned by Yugi's sudden outburst.

Yugi let out a deep sigh, then asked in a small voice, "Can I skip first period?"

"Sure. I'll go call the school." The elder Mouto then left the room, closing the door behind him. 'I'm going to find out what happened to him during those three weeks,' he thought, walking down the stairs.

-------

Back in Kyall Arie, things weren't going too well either. Yami had gotten back very late the previous night. Around three in the morning to be precise. Late enough to get the others worried about him. And when he finally got back, he locked himself in his room and wouldn't talk to anyone. Which only served to worry the others more. They had to find out what had happened, but Yami just wouldn't open the door no matter what.

It was four hours later that the King finally let them into his room. Of course, first thing they did was to check for any injuries. Surprisingly, Yami didn't put up a fight while they fussed over him. He just sat on his bed looking completely exhausted. Finally, when the four were satisfied that he wasn't harmed, they sat around him and waited for him to tell them what happened. "I can't talk about it right now," Yami said quietly, not looking at any of them. He hadn't looked any of them in the eyes since they came in, and now he hung his head.

"Can't you just tell us a little?" Bakura asked, climbing onto the bed and sitting in front of the Shadow King. Yami just shook his head, and still didn't look up.

"Why not?" asked Marik who came to sit beside Yami.

"Because I just can't. Not now."

"When can you tell us?" asked Seto who stood at the end of the bed.

"…If I told you…you would probably hate me," Yami replied.

The other four exchanged worried glances. Hate him? What could Yami have done that would make them hate him? "How do you know that?" Otogi asked, coming closer to stand near Seto.

"Because…I didn't erase his memories," came the quiet response. It was very silent in the room while the four tried to run that sentence through their minds. After everything they had gone through to finally get Yami to agree to do it, he backs out at the last minute! What the hell was he thinking! Their emotions ranged from surprise, confusion, disbelief, anger, and sadness. Of course, sensing those emotions just made Yami even more depressed than he already was. It was bad enough he lost one friend last night. Would his actions cause him to loose the rest?

"Can I ask why?" Seto asked slowly, obviously trying to control his anger.

"I couldn't do it. It was just…in the end, I didn't have the will to do it anymore," Yami replied, bringing his legs up to his chest, and resting his forehead on his knees.

"So after all that, you didn't have enough backbone to go through with it?" Seto asked, his anger rising.

"Seto, calm down," Bakura cut in. "We all knew this would be hard for him."

"But I expected more from him! One of us should have gone with him."

"That wouldn't have helped at all," Otogi said. "He wouldn't have let us do anything."

"I'm sorry," the King whispered. "I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it. I'm sorry." his body then began to shake as he tried to control his unstable emotions.

Marik pulled him into an embrace, and said, "It's not your fault. We shouldn't have pushed you so hard. Right, Seto?" he asked, looking at the brunette sternly.

Seto sighed, then sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know, I know. We all pressured you into doing this, so I have no right to get angry. But it doesn't change the fact that he can't go on knowing of us."

"He wouldn't tell anyone," Yami defended, still not looking up at anyone. "He wouldn't break his promise. He's not like that!"

"Maybe so," Otogi replied, "but that doesn't change the fact that him knowing of us is against all the rules. Humans have finally forgotten we exist, and we can live in peace. If by some accident he tells someone, we will all be in danger."

"No one will believe him," Yami said.

"There are a few fanatics who might. Not to mention historians might. The humans surely have written about us sometime during history."

"I know, but…I know he wouldn't tell anyone. He promised me he wouldn't, and I believe him!"

"He's a human," Bakura stated. "Why do you put so much faith in him?

"Because he is my friend, and…" Yami just trailed off, unsure if he should tell them the true extent of his feelings. There was no way they would take it easily. Most likely they would freak out and start going on about rules and laws that Yami didn't give a fuck about.

"And…" Marik said. All four leaned in close so they could hear the rest of their Master's explanation.

"And…I love him," Yami finished, finally looking up at them

Once again there was silence in the room. But this time, there was no wide range of emotions. There was just stunned silence as all four Shadows just stared at their King. At least they weren't yelling…yet. Then Seto started to laugh softly. "You love him," he said, his laughter growing louder and sounding more insane. "You love him. A human. That's great! You're in love with a human! A fucking human! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" the brunette finally yelled, angrier than he'd ever been in his life.

"I'm sure Yami's just kidding, right?" Otogi said, a bit desperately. "Right?"

"I've never been more serious," Yami replied.

"And I've never been more disgusted!" Seto snapped. "Did you hit your head or have you finally gone insane! To love a human is just the most vile, despicable, horrendous-"

"That's enough!" Yami yelled, tackling Seto to the floor. "I've had enough of you, Seto! You know nothing about him! You have no idea what kind of person he is! So you can't tell me that what I feel for him is wrong! I don't give a damn that he's a human! And I don't give a damn what the laws say! I love him, so you can fuck off!"

"Yami, calm down!" Marik said, as he and Bakura struggled to pull the enraged King off of Seto. Which was definitely no easy job. But they didn't want to have a repeat of last week. "You don't have to kill him! Just ignore him!"

"And Seto, you need to stop pissing him off," Otogi said as he helped the brunette get up.

"He's the one who pisses me off! What the hell is he thinking! Falling in love with a human of all things!" Seto yelled.

"I don't care that he's a human! And I don't care what you say! I love him, and you can't change that!" shouted Yami as he fought against Marik and Bakura's grip. "So you can go to hell for all I care!" As he was shouting, his fangs and claws grew to full length, and his pupils once again contracted to a small black dot. "You are the biggest bastard in the world!"

It was now impossible to restrain the teen, as his power started to rise the angrier he got. He tossed the others across the room as if it were nothing, then started to walk towards Seto. Otogi stood in front of the King and tried to calm him down just a bit. "Now, Master, there really is no need for this."

"Out of my way," Yami demanded.

"Your Highness, please calm down," Otogi continued.

"Don't bother, Otogi" Seto said. "This stubborn brat isn't going to listen to anyone."

"Shut up, you idiot!" Bakura said. "Before Yami rips your head off!"

"I won't say it again, Otogi. Get out of my way," Yami snarled, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Without a second thought, Otogi rushed away from the angered King. "You're on your own, Seto. I'm not getting in the middle of this."

"Coward," was all Seto could say before he was pushed up against the wall, Yami's hand at his throat.

"Shut the hell up, you bastard," Yami said gravely. "I hate you. I hate everything about you. Everything you believe in. You make me sick." He then tightened his grip on Seto's throat. "You've done nothing but piss me off since the day I got back. There have been times I wanted to break your neck just to shut you up. So many times I wanted to kill you for saying shit about Yugi. Things would be so much better if you just died." By now Seto was struggling to breathe as the King's grip became stronger.

"Killing me won't change anything," Seto gasped. "You know that! It won't change the fact that you two can never be together! So go ahead and kill me if that'll make you feel better. Because that's all you'll get from it."

"Seto, shut the hell up before he really does kill you!" Marik yelled at the brunette.

"If he wants to die so badly, then I'd be happy to kill him," Yami said with a smile, as he began to dig his claws into Seto's throat. The blue eyed Shadow cringed in pain, but didn't let out a sound. He wouldn't give Yami that satisfaction. So what if he died? Yami couldn't change anything. He and that human would _never_ be together.

Yami's smile grew wider as he saw Seto's blood begin to run down his hand. He had wanted to do this for so long. The bastard would pay for everything he ever said about Yugi. He would pay for getting in the way. He deserved all the pain he suffered. It didn't matter to Yami that he was killing his friend. All that mattered was that Seto would pay for everything he'd done.

But before Yami could do anymore damage, long red ropes came from beneath him and wrapped around his body, dragging him to the ground and preventing him from moving. Looking over to the others, he growled when he saw that all three had cast a binding spell on him. "Why the hell did you stop me! Let me go, now!" he shouted, struggling to break free from the bonds.

"You can't kill him," Bakura replied, straining to keep the teen bound by the spell. But he was faltering, as were the other two. Pretty soon Yami would break the spell. "Seto, get out of here."

"No. Let him go," Seto said, holding his throat to prevent anymore blood loss as the wound healed itself. "I want to finish this once and for all."

"You bloody idiot!" Otogi shouted. "Get the fuck out of here! We aren't doing this just for you to stand there!" Otogi's heart started to race when he saw three ropes snap. "Damnit, Seto. LEAVE!"

"Fucking traitors!" the enraged King shouted. "How dare you help him! Let me go now, or I'll kill you all!"

"Damnit, Seto," Marik said. "If I wasn't too busy holding him down, I would punch you right now. Get out now, because I would rather not have my hand blown up like the LAST TIME I tried to save you!"

Seto looked at the three Shadows then at Yami who was still trying to break free from the spell. Hearing a few more ropes snap, he finally decided to do as they said. "Fine then. But this isn't over, Yami. Far from it." He then turned and walked out of the room, and the three others sighed in relief. Now to focus on Yami, who had suddenly gone quiet. And that scared the three Shadows more than when he was yelling and thrashing around. He was just lying there on the ground, eyes clenched tightly shut and breathing rapidly.

The three friends looked at each other, before slowly removing the spell. They were prepared for Yami to jump up and attack them any second. But the teen didn't move. He just kept lying there, his body beginning to tremble a little. The three cautiously took a few steps towards him, but Yami still didn't move. "Yami?" Bakura called quietly.

"Get out," Yami whispered, curling up into a ball on the ground.

"But-"

"Get out. Please, just leave me alone," he said. The three glanced worriedly at each other before silently leaving the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. For a while Yami didn't move from the spot. He just lay there curled in a ball, trembling, as he tried to control his emotions. He wasn't doing very well as tears forced themselves through his eyelids and started to fall down his cheeks. 'Damnit,' he thought. 'Damnit all! Why can't things be easy for once? Why can't I just be with him? All I want is to be with him.'

--------

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch back at Domino High. Hundreds of students happily raced out of their classes to get to the cafeteria to be first in line. No one wanted to wait while they brought more food to the carts. Those who brought their lunches were very glad they didn't have to stand in the line. Up at the tree Malik and Jou were trading sandwiches, while Honda was sharing his strawberries with Ryou. Yugi had politely declined the fruit, saying he wasn't hungry at all. Anzu wasn't with them today, because she was sitting with other friends.

"You should eat something," Ryou said between mouthfuls. "Otherwise you'll be starving next period."

"I'm just not hungry today," Yugi replied with a shrug. He still wasn't in the mood to do anything. During second period chemistry he spaced out, and in art he just doodled on paper. Such was his life without Yami. And to think he was just starting to get over his loss. But then Yami had to come back. He just had to come back and remind Yugi just how much he missed the Shadow. 'And then he left again, without saying a word. He thinks everything will get better now. Insensitive jerk.' Yugi didn't really mean that. He could never think of Yami badly. But it hurt knowing that the Shadow King had left without saying goodbye.

"If ya don't eat, you'll get sick," Jou said.

"If I eat when I'm not hungry, I'll get even sicker."

"That happens to me too," Malik said. "But are you feeling ok? You look tired."

'And again with those damn questions!' "Yes, I'm fine. I just went to bed late last night," Yugi replied calmly, trying his hardest not to snap at Malik like he had done with his grandfather.

"What time?" Jou asked, looking Yugi in the eyes. He wanted to know what exactly happened after he left the park last night. After leaving Yugi with that complete stranger. Jou was up all night worried that something might have happened to his friend. That guy in the park just wasn't normal. There was something about him that didn't seem right, but Jou just didn't know what it was. But he was definitely going to find out what went on.

"I don't remember," Yugi lied. "Late enough for me to still be tired when I woke up this morning."

"So that's why you missed first period?" Honda asked, and Yugi nodded. "Well, you didn't miss anything important. The teacher made us run laps the entire time."

"My legs are still throbbing," Ryou complained, rubbing his left calf. "I'm going to be sore for months after this."

"Hey, Yug'," Jou said. "Help me throw away all dis trash."

Yugi knew full well that Jou wanted to talk about last night. But he wasn't in the mood to argue. Besides, he had nothing to hide. They didn't do anything last night. Other than fly, but that was the only thing he had to keep secret. So he picked up Ryou's trash and followed Jou to the trashcan. But it seemed that Jou wanted their conversation to really be private, because he was heading over to the trashcan on the other side of the field.

Ryou, Honda, and Malik watched the two walk off. "So who noticed Yugi seemed more depressed than usual?" Honda asked.

"I thought he was finally starting to cheer up," Ryou said with a sigh. "What happened?"

"Maybe it was all a trick to get us off his back," Malik added. "But Jou knows something. It's obvious he wanted to get Yugi alone to talk about whatever."

"You think Jou is going to tell us?" Ryou asked.

"Probably not. Yugi will probably make him promise to keep it a secret," Honda replied

"Well let's hope Jou finds out some clue as to why Yugi is acting so strangely."

-------

"Jou, don't you think this is far enough?" Yugi asked when they turned around the corner of the building. "No one can see us anymore."

"Yugi, what happened last night?" Jou asked immediately. Earlier in the day, he had checked Yugi over for injuries. To his relief he didn't see a single scratch. That didn't mean he was any less curious.

"Nothing. The two of us just talked, then he had to leave," Yugi replied quietly, playing with the bracelet.

"Who is he?"

"A friend."

"How come I've neva met him before?"

"He doesn't live…nearby," Yugi said slowly. It wasn't the best excuse, but at least it was something.

"Really?" Jou asked, not believing Yugi for a second. It was so obvious that the teen was hiding something. Suddenly it struck Jou. That guy last night was most likely the cause of Yugi's personality changes. That had to be it! There was no other explanation. It wasn't like Yugi to hang out with people like him. "So then how did ya meet him?"

"I…ran into him at the park. Look, Jou, I don't wanna talk about this now. Nothing happened, so everything is fine." Yugi then turned to walk away, when Jou grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

"Everything isn't fine. You've changed. And not in da good way. You've been really quiet and distant, ya neva want to leave your room, ya start hanging out with strange people-"

"Yami isn't strange!" Yugi interrupted angrily, pushing Jou away. "He's a great person, and you don't know anything about him!"

"Exactly! Who is dis guy? Why are ya spending time with someone like him?"

"And what does that mean?" Yugi asked.

"He just…he looks dangerous!" Jou yelled.

"Well, he's not! He's kind and he takes care of me! I trust him!"

"But I can't. How do ya know he's not leading you on?"

"Yami is not that type of person! He's my friend, and I don't give a damn what you say about him! I won't stop being friends with him just because you don't approve." Yugi turned to walk away again, but Jou grabbed him once again.

"Yugi, I'm your friend too. I'm just looking out for ya. I don't want ya ta get hurt."

"He's never hurt me. And he promised he never would!" yelled Yugi as he reached down to play with the bracelet again.

"How do you know he really means it? How can you trust him?" Jou was starting to get aggravated. Yugi was too nice and trusting. For all they knew that guy could be some criminal, and here Yugi was defending him! Yugi got mad because he said Jou didn't know anything about him. But exactly how much did Yugi know? And how much of it was a lie?

"Because I saved his life. And he saved mine. That's why I can trust him." Yugi then walked away, and this time Jou didn't try to stop him.

--------

The palace was disturbingly quiet for one thirty in the afternoon. Everyone had heard of the argument that had taken place, and everyone was afraid to make too much noise. They didn't know what it was about, but no one dared to ask. No one really wanted to die. And no one dared to get too close to the King's bedroom either. Even the security guards moved down to the ends of the hall. The only person who had enough guts to enter the room was Bakura, and that was only to bring the Master something to eat. But even Bakura was nervous about entering.

Everything looked normal when Bakura entered. Nothing destroyed, nothing on fire, nothing missing from this dimension. The only things that were on the floor were the clothes that Yami had been wearing. As for Yami, the teen King was currently curled up on the bed, the sheets covering him completely, and his back was to the door. He wasn't asleep, even though his breathing was slow. It was more like he was trying to meditate, but he was too angry and depressed.

"I brought you something to eat," Bakura said quietly, putting the tray down on the small glass table. "Otogi will come pick it up later." He looked towards the bed, but Yami didn't say anything. With a sigh he turned to walk to the door, when he heard the sheets rustle.

"Bakura…" Yami called softly from under the covers.

"Yes?" the silver haired Shadow responded, moving over to the bed.

"Do you think I've gone insane?"

Bakura was silent for a minute, before he responded. "I think you need time to figure out who is more important to you. That human or your entire race."

It was quiet for a few minutes, and then Yami replied. "Would you be mad if I already made my choice?"

"Do what you want because it makes you happy. Don't worry that others will get mad."

"But would _you_ be mad?"

"Whatever you decide, I'll still be your friend. I haven't abandoned you yet, and I'm not going to start because of this." Bakura could see the figure under the covers relax, and smiled a bit. At least he was starting to calm down, if only a little.

"Thank you, Bakura."

"No problem. Try to get some sleep, then tomorrow we'll all deal with things a bit at a time." Yami nodded, and then stilled. Bakura then walked out, leaving the King alone again.

----------

Over in Marik's study, Otogi and Marik were waiting for Bakura to come back. They wanted to know if anything had changed in the King's mood. If it was even safe for them to talk loudly. After a few more minutes of waiting, the door opened and Bakura stepped in. "Well?" Otogi asked.

"He's calmed down a bit. No longer angry. But he is depressed. I could sense his sadness from the stairs," Bakura responded, taking a seat on Marik's black couch.

"That's not much better," Marik replied, leaning back in his seat behind the desk. "He completely lost it this morning."

"If you ask me," Otogi said as he began to pace slowly, "Seto deserved it. Out of all of us, he's given Yami the hardest time when it comes to that human."

"Yes, but he was only saying the truth. A human and a Shadow can't become friends or anything else," Marik commented. "I think Yami went too far. But I'm not taking Seto's side on this."

"I just don't understand how it's possible for a Shadow, especially the King of Shadows, to fall in love with a human," Bakura said. "I've heard of that happening in the past, when our races lived next to each other. But never of the King falling in love."

"Seto was right when he said one of us should have gone with Yami last night," Otogi stated.

"But it wouldn't change the fact that Yami is in love with this Yugi kid," Marik replied. "Even if he had erased the boy's memories, it wouldn't mean Yami would leave him alone."

"That's true," said Bakura. The three didn't say anything for a while after that, each lost in his own thoughts. "You know…last Saturday after the first fight between Yami and Seto, Yami told me something that was…shocking."

"What?" asked Otogi.

"He told me that there was a human who looked like me."

"You aren't serious!" Marik exclaimed.

"Totally. He was mumbling something about light and dark, and then said there was a human who looked like me. Which makes me wonder if there are other humans that look like Shadows."

"That would be…extremely creepy," commented Otogi. "But it makes me curious as well."

"Great," Marik said, placing his head down on the desk. "Now I want to go look for my human clone."

"Maybe we should," Bakura said casually.

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!" Otogi and Marik both shrieked.

"Hey, we are all curious! So don't start with any bull," Bakura snapped back. "You know damn well you want to go look for them. If Yami found his, why can't we find ours?"

"We don't even know what country they are in," Otogi groaned.

"Obviously mine is in Domino. Otherwise Yami wouldn't have known about him. Maybe yours are in Japan too."

"Well, count me out," Otogi replied. "I've got a lot of work to do anyway. And someone has to be here for Yami."

"And what about Seto?" asked Marik.

"He's not here. He went to England earlier to visit one of the Dukes. Truth is, Seto just wanted to get away from Yami," said Bakura.

"I don't blame him," Otogi said. "But how exactly are you going to find those look-a-likes?"

"I DO NOT want to walk all around that city again," Marik complained. "Unless by some miracle they go to the same school as that Yugi."

"Who knows, maybe they do. The only human contact Yami has had is with Yugi, so there is no way he could know of them unless Yugi told him."

"So you are going to go stalk the school to spot him?"

"Yes."

"…Alright, count me in," Marik said, standing up. "Otogi, if Yami asks for us, tell him we went to the lake, or something."

"Fine, fine. Just be careful, damnit. I can't afford to have you two ending up missing as well."

Bakura and Marik nodded, then walked to the middle of the room. Closing their eyes, they both started to quietly chant a spell. Suddenly, beneath their feet a large, orange circle appeared. A smaller orange circle appeared in the middle, then an orange star began to form inside the second circle. The symbol began to glow, the light traveling up the Shadow's bodies till they were engulfed in the orange light. Their forms began to warp slightly, when suddenly they disappeared in a flash of light. Otogi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Lazy idiots. Just because they don't want to fly."

--------

The last bell of the day rang at 2:20, and students raced through the halls to leave the torture cell called school. The six friends walked out slowly, enjoying their well earned freedom. "I so don't want to go to work today," Malik complained as they walked to the parking lot. "The boss is on my case for making up the time I took off on Saturday and Sunday."

"Didn't you tell him that your sister is visiting?" Honda asked, getting on his bike.

"Yes, but he doesn't care. He says I have to work three days during the week so that I can get the weekend free to spend time with her."

"That's so mean," Anzu said. "He wasn't like that last time she came over."

"Last time he had more workers. But he fired two, and one got another job. Yugi, why don't you work with me?" Malik begged, trying to imitate Yugi's puppy dog look.

"Because I already help out my jii-chan at the store. And you can't pull off that look," Yugi replied with a laugh. "And speaking of the store, I promised to help set up a new display, so I better get going. See you guys later!" The teen then quickly made his way out the school gates and disappeared into the crowd.

"Well, he's acting more energetic," Ryou stated.

"But dat's all it is: an act," Jou said. There was no way Yugi could have made such a big switch from depressed to happy in just an hour and a half. And after their conversation, Yugi had made it a point to avoid being near Jou, incase the blonde decided to pull him into some deserted class and interrogate him some more. Which made Jou completely frustrated. The only good thing was that he learned the guy's name. Yami. What a strange name. It probably wasn't even his real name.

"Well, we'll see how things go tomorrow," Malik said as he started his bike. "Call me later, but not before six. Bye." He then took off out the gates.

Ryou sighed, then started to walk to the gates with Anzu. "I have to do research at the library. So I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye." Ryou and Anzu waved, then walked away.

Honda and Jou watched him walk off. "You know, ever since Yugi started acting quiet and distant, this whole group has lost it's energy."

"You're right," the blonde replied as he got on behind Honda. "But we'll find a way ta fix dis." 'I've gotta find dat Yami guy, and find out what he's up to.'

-------

After parting ways with Anzu, Ryou decided to take the long way to the library since it was such a nice day. He just didn't feel like being stuck inside another building so soon after being let out of school. The long way took Ryou through the park, where he stopped to sit on a bench near the pond. It was his favorite spot, and on days like this he would just come here to think.

Now, though, he didn't feel like thinking. He had done enough thinking for seven hours straight. Time to give his brain a rest. Pulling out his mp3 player, the silver haired teen turned to his favorite Dir en Grey song: The Final. There was just something about this song that made Ryou want to play it over and over. It might have been Kyo's hot vocals, or Kaoru and Die's awesome guitar playing. Maybe it was Shinya's terrific drum playing, or Toshiya's excellent bass in the background. Whatever it was, it was definitely a great song.

'I have some time to kill,' Ryou thought as he looked down at his watch. So he decided to take a little break before he plunged himself back into the world of academics. Pulling up his school bag to use as a pillow, the boy lay down on the bench as the song continued to play. With a content sigh, he closed his eyes as a cool breeze blew by. And there he lay, just mouthing the words to the song, absolutely unaware of the eyes that watched him.

From high in a tree Bakura watched as his human doppelganger tapped his fingers slowly to the tune. Bakura still couldn't get over his shock of finding the kid at the school. He never in a million years thought he would find him so soon, and definitely didn't expect him to be friends with Yugi. But Yami was right, this human did look like him. Except he looked gentle and kind, the total opposite of Bakura. 'I have to find out his name.' But it would be a tactical mistake to just go down there and make contact with the human…or would it?

After fifteen minutes, Ryou finally sat back up. "Guess it's time to go," he said. Stretching a bit, he picked up his bag and headed towards the exit of the park. He was quietly humming the tune to Kasumi, another Dir en Grey song. Yet another kick ass song by the band. Looking down at his watch, he sighed when he saw it was almost three. 'I have so much work to do,' he thought, starting to jog. 'I'm definitely not going to get it done today. Good thing this report isn't due till next week.'

He took out his mp3 player to switch to another song, but before he could he suddenly collided with another body. And because Ryou was going fast, the two people were knocked to the ground. "Watch it, kid! Don't run if you aren't looking!" the other person scolded.

"I'm sorry! I didn't-" Ryou began to apologize, but stopped when he finally looked over to see the person. Sitting directly in front of him was…himself. But that wasn't possible! Upon further inspection, 'inspection' meaning openly staring at the other person with his mouth agape, Ryou noticed the slight differences. This teen's hair was spikier, his eyes were a deep mahogany and narrowed, and his skin was a light tan, not to mention he was taller.

"Are you going to stare at me all day?" the teen asked, getting up off the ground and rubbing the leg he fell on. For some strange reason Ryou's heart skipped a few beats when he heard that deep, baritone voice again. But he quickly snapped out of his daze when he realized that the guy was staring at him with an annoyed look.

"I'm so sorry," Ryou said, quickly getting off the ground. "I didn't mean to run into you."

"Yea, well next time look where you are going," the other teen said, walking up to Ryou. "Otherwise you'll walk into traffic. And it would be such a shame for the world to loose such a cute kid."

A deep, red blush suddenly sprang to life on Ryou's face as the British teen began to stutter. "U-um…I should…p-probably go now. I'm sorry again," he said quickly, before rushing away from the other teen.

Bakura watched with a smirk as the human ran away. 'He's cute when he blushes. Great, I'm going to end up like Yami.' Jumping into the nearest tree, he cast an invisibility spell on himself before taking off in the skies and following the kid. 'Now to stalk him some more and find out his name.'

--------

Malik was busy as hell today at work. It seemed that everyone decided to go to that particular café today. He'd probably served half of Domino in just one hour. Luckily he was going on break soon. He just couldn't stand those people anymore. The teenagers were bad, but the adults were the worst. If they weren't chattering nonstop, they were taking their sweet time ordering, or making comments about his appearance. Like he really gave a damn.

The worst part was that sometimes perverted, old business men came in and they would try to feel him up as he passed. Just thinking about those fat, wrinkly hands touching him made him shiver in disgust. One time he almost punched a man who dared to slap him on the ass. Unfortunately, Malik's boss was there, so Malik could only stomp away angrily. But the good thing was that the man had never been back. The boss kicked him out after that episode.

Walking through the tables to pick up orders, he was thankful for the dim lighting in the café. Wouldn't want the customers to see just how annoyed he was. Quickly glancing out the window, he felt a longing to get out of this place and just go home. Sadly he still had two hours of work left. It was only four thirty. "Waiter!" he heard someone call to him, and with a sigh he turned to help the customer.

"What can I get you?" he asked, pulling out his pad and trying to act cheerful.

"One large cup of coffee and a slice of coffee cake," the woman at the table said.

'Jeez, isn't that a bit much caffeine?' he thought as he wrote down the order. "Is that all?"

"Yes," the woman said. "And hurry. I'm very busy today."

'I'm sure you are.' "Right away." He left the table quickly, glad he only had to serve the lady once more. Add another notch to his annoyed level. 'Just ten more minutes, then break. Just last ten more minutes!' he told himself as he went to the kitchen.

"Got another order," he called to one of the chefs.

"The boss sure is working you hard, huh?" a twenty year old girl named Kana said as she took the order. "Damn, that's a lot of coffee."

"He won't give me time off," Malik replied. "Says I took enough time off last time."

"Aww. But don't worry, honey," Kana said as she made the coffee. "It's only till we get more people working. I hear he's already planning on hiring another guy."

"As long as I don't have to train him, that's fine," the Egyptian teen replied behind a yawn.

"Better take this order out now, before you fall asleep," she said with a chuckle. "And don't stress so much."

"Yea, yea," was all Malik said as he walked out with the tray. As he was walking to the woman's table, another co-worker passed him by and stopped him.

"Got a new customer at table twelve," the boy said, motioning to the table at the furthest corner of the café.

"Why don't you take care of it? I'm already working three tables," Malik said, even more annoyed. "Don't dump your work on me."

"It's not that. I just think that it would be better if you took this one," the guy said before walking off.

'What the hell does that mean?' Malik thought as he placed the coffee and cake on the woman's table before walking off. He was curious, yes, but that didn't mean he had to rush. Let the customer wait. It was almost time for his break anyway. Someone else would take the order. It wasn't his problem anyway…but…he was really curious. Damn his curiosity! And so, with another sigh, Malik made his way all the way to table twelve. He purposely went around all the tables so as to avoid the bar and the old business men.

Taking out his notepad from his black pants, he walked up to the table without even looking at the customer. "What can I get you?" he asked, putting his cheery façade back on.

"I don't know what's good here," a deep, male voice replied.

"Everything is good here, sir," Malik replied in a bored tone. Screw the cheeriness. He was tired, damnit!

"I wonder…are you on the menu?"

And that was the last straw. Malik couldn't count how many times he'd been asked that same, stupid question, and it still pissed him off like hell. "No, sir!" Malik said, looking up finally. "I am…" But he never finished his sentence because he was too shocked.

Sitting at the table was another man who looked almost exactly like him. Save for the difference in hair, and his darker eyes, they could have been twins. And yet there was something about this man that screamed danger. He looked wild and crazy and…hot! Malik blinked when the man started to chuckle. He realized he was staring, but he couldn't look away. The man leaned back in his chair and smirked at Malik. "So is that a yes or no?"

"I…ah…no!" Malik finally said, regaining his composure. "Please order something from the menu, sir."

"Fine," the other said with amusement. "One small cup of coffee."

"Alright. I'll be back with the order soon," Malik said, turning to walk away.

"Take your time, Malik. I don't mind waiting for you," the stranger teased.

Malik paused then quickly rushed off, taking off his nametag in the process. The nerve of that guy! Actually calling him by his name, and acting that way towards him. Some people were just the worst scum. As he went to the kitchen, Malik passed by the co-worker from before. Sending the guy a glare, he mouthed 'You'll get yours,' before entering the swinging doors to the kitchen.

"Woah! What got you so mad?" Kana asked upon his entrance.

"Another guy was trying to hit on me," Malik replied in disgust.

"Was it another old guy?"

"No. He was a teenager, probably eighteen or nineteen."

"You know, most people would find it flattering to have someone flirt with them. Was he hot?"

"Like I give a damn!" Malik yelled, a light blush forming.

"Ah, so he was," she replied with a sly smile. "Bet you can't wait to go back and give him his order."

"Screw that!" Malik said. "I'm taking my break now. You go fill his order."

"Aww, but I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you again," she continued to tease while making the coffee. "Our job is to make the customer happy."

"Someone else can go make him happy," Malik said sullenly.

"Now, Malik, stop being such an idiot," Kana said, pushing the tray into his hand and pushing him out the door. "Just be nice, and remember not to give it all up too soon. Make him work for it."

"Shut up, damn you!" he whispered fiercely. With a mental groan he headed back over to table twelve and that guy. 'Make him work for it. Ha! Like I'd ever be caught dead with the likes of him. Even if he is good looking. Wait, wait, wait! Bad thought! Very bad thought!' Shaking his head lightly, he approached the table. "Here's your order," he said, placing the cup down on the table. "Would you like anything else?"

"I'd ask for your number, but that would be too forward of me," the male said with another smirk. For some reason this guy both really annoyed and intrigued Malik at the same time.

"I'm sorry, sir. But I don't give out my number to strangers," Malik replied.

"That's fine," the guy said with a nod and that ever present smirk. "Wouldn't want you to give it all up too soon."

Malik's eyes widened and he stared at the man. How the hell did he know what Kana had said to him? He was no where near the kitchen. What the fuck? Was he playing a trick on him? "Alright, who put you up to this? Kana? Mr. Asuka? Or was it Jou and Honda?"

"No one," the man replied, even more amused. "I don't live in this town. I'm only…visiting someone."

"Sure you are. I don't appreciate random strangers coming in and teasing me like this," Malik replied angrily, but not so loud as to disturb the other customers. Wouldn't want to make a scene like with the last guy. Luckily all the tables near them were empty.

"But it's so fun teasing such an adorable kid," the stranger said, standing up and placing money on the table. "Keep the change, Malik. A tip for entertaining me so well." He then turned to the exit.

"Wait!" Malik called to him, though he didn't know why. The guy turned back to him, and walked back over. "What…what's your name?"

"Marik. And you better remember it, cause you'll be seeing more of me," Marik replied with a wink. Then, before Malik knew what was happening, Marik leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. "See ya, Malik." He walked away, leaving a very stunned and confused Malik.

'What the FUCK just happened?'

-------

Ryou was very glad the library had air conditioning. Because the temperature had suddenly risen outside. High enough to make Ryou very hot and unhappy. He wasn't looking forward to going back out, even if it was dusk. Taking off his school jacket, he turned to another page in the book he was looking at. He didn't really care about this assignment, but it was better to get it done now, than racing to finish it the day before it was due like Malik.

With a sigh he looked at his watch. 5:57. He had been here for almost three hours. "That's enough studying for today," he mumbled, putting all his stuff back in his bag. Good thing he did all his homework here. He was in no mood to do anymore work at home. He'd just call up one of his friends and bother them while watching TV. Like usual. Plus he had to finish the Naruto fanfic he was reading. 'Stupid Naruto,' he thought while walking to a shelf. 'How could he fall for such an obvious trick? Like Sasuke was going to let him go so easily.'

As he turned the corner, he looked down to make sure he had all the books. 'It would suck if I left a research book here. Then I'd never finish this report.' But before he could look through the stack he held, he ran into someone, and once again he and that person both fell to the ground. 'Oh, not again!' "I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized, looking up at the person only to be shocked the second time that day.

"Didn't I tell you to look where you were going?" the other person said as he rubbed his arm where a big book fell on it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Ryou said. "I didn't mean to knock into you twice. I really am sorry!" Well, wasn't this embarrassing? Running into the same person twice in one day. Make it three, and Ryou's life would surely end. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked, looking at the guy's arm.

"No. It'll just make a small bruise," the guy replied.

"Oh, that's good," Ryou replied, before widening his eyes. "I don't mean that it's good you'll get a bruise! I mean it's good that it doesn't hurt. Not that I mean to hurt you or anything. It was a complete accident, like the last time. I'm so clumsy, and now I'm rambling so I'm gonna stop talking now." Ryou hung his head, and mentally groaned while he felt his face light up with a blush. 'Great. He's going to think I'm a retard.'

Bakura smirked as he heard the human ramble. 'He's blushing again. This kid really is cute for a human.' "Yea, you are clumsy. First my leg, then my arm. Next it'll be my head." The Shadow smirked more when he heard the human teen groan lightly. "I'm kidding," he said, scooting closer to the human, and lifting his face gently. "A sweet looking kid like you wouldn't hurt anyone, right?"

Ryou was at a loss for words. This complete stranger had complimented him for the second time. First cute, now sweet looking. This was one messed up day, that was for sure. Ryou really needed to go home and sleep. That was the only way he would be able to handle things. "Um…we should probably get off the floor," was all he could think of saying. The other nodded, stood up then offered his hand to Ryou, who hesitantly took it. "Thanks."

"No problem. But seriously, watch where you are going, kid," the guy said with a wink, before walking to the other side of the library.

Ryou watched the guy walk away in complete confusion. Things were very strange. Was this all a dream? Or did he stumble into another dimension? Because normally, Ryou didn't run into the same guy twice in one day, and random strangers didn't normally call him cute. Especially strangers who looked exactly like himself. More importantly, Ryou didn't usually feel an attraction to random strangers. 'Ok, ok. Let's just get through the rest of this day without another incident. It was just some strange coincidence that I ran into the same guy twice.'

Getting up, Ryou made his way over to the check out desk. He had three books he needed to take out, and one to return. Damn school and making him take out so many books at once. He could barely fit all of them into his school bag. It would definitely be a pain carrying them all home. As if his bag didn't already weigh fifty pounds. Finally it was his turn, so he placed the books at the counter. Smiling at the librarian, he handed her his card. Even though she probably knew his number by heart by now.

Once he was finished, he shoved the books into his bag, though with great difficulty. Then he debated on whether or not to take the stairs or the elevator. But since the day had gone so strangely so far, Ryou wouldn't have been surprised if he ran into that same guy on the stairs. 'I'll probably make him fall down all three flights.' With a groan, the teen turned to the elevator. 'I am not taking that chance. No fucking way in hell.'

'Maybe I have bad luck, or something. Or maybe I pissed off a god. If I did, I'm sorry,' he thought as he walked out of the research section. Making his was past the Audio/Visual section, he headed for the elevator in the corner. And just as he was turning the corner of the last shelf, who should he run into but the very same guy from before. Luckily this time they didn't fall to the ground.

"Oh jeez, not again! I am so sorry!" Ryou groaned. "This is so impossibly embarrassing. You must think I'm stalking you, or something."

"I wouldn't mind having such a cute stalker," the guy said with a smirk, and once again Ryou found himself blushing. "But I would like to know my stalker's name."

"Ryou. My name's Ryou."

"Such a cute name for such a cute kid. I'm Bakura," the guy said. "But if you are stalking me, there are less painful ways to get my attention."

"Again, I'm so sorry," Ryou said as he pushed the down button on the elevator. The doors opened, and both Ryou and Bakura stepped in. "Are you going down to the bottom?"

"I wouldn't mind going down on you," Bakura teased, and Ryou almost fell over in shock. "Just kidding! Yes, I'm going to the bottom."

"O-ok then," Ryou shakily pressed the button with the number 1 on it. 'Holy CRAP he did not just say that!' Ryou was now desperately wishing that this was a dream. Some fucked up dream brought on by too much candy or for spending too long with Malik. Sadly, Ryou knew this was far from a dream. Which made things all the more uncomfortable. "Are you new here?"

"Just visiting someone. And at first I thought this trip would be a complete bore, but running into you has made things interesting," Bakura replied with a wink.

"I'll try not to run into you again," Ryou replied. "Three times is enough."

"I don't know. It wasn't all that bad," Bakura said, scooting closer. Ryou flattened himself against the wall, but then realized he had just trapped himself. "I personally liked those quick moments of bodily contact."

'Crap! I'm trapped!' Ryou thought, pressing himself even more against the wall. 'Why is he saying these things? And why is my heart racing?' It was true, his heart was beating faster than it ever had. But it wasn't out of fear. It was racing out of excitement. And Ryou didn't have a clue as to why.

Bakura smirked again, and leaned down to whisper into Ryou's ear. "You are one interesting kid, Ryou." The Shadow definitely didn't miss the shiver that ran through the human's body, or how his breath hitched. "It was nice meeting you, **_little human_**," he said, reverting back to the Shadow language. It was then that the elevator door opened. Bakura smiled at him before walking out, leaving a stunned Ryou behind.

------

"Jou, slow down. I can't understand a word you are saying," Yugi said as he was cleaning up his room. "So did you pay the late fee or not?" It was nine at night, and Yugi had been on the phone with Jou for the past hour listening to the blonde rant about how the video store ripped him off. "Are you going to complain?"

Things were ok between them now. Yugi had forgiven Jou for what happened at school, and they had moved on. Though Yugi made Jou swear not to talk about that subject again unless Yugi started the conversation. Because Yugi didn't want Jou to start insulting Yami again. And Jou wasn't allowed to tell the others either. Because if the others found out, it would just be way too much drama.

"I wouldn't go back there for a while," Yugi said while shoving a mound of clothes into the closet. He'd hang those later. He was far too lazy to do it now, especially since he was starting to get hungry.

"_Well, where am I gonna go den?" _Jou asked. "_Dey have da biggest selection."_

"Don't they have an online store, or something?"

_"Yea, but I can't remember da name," _Jou groaned.

"You can't remember anything," Yugi chuckled. "Man, I am so hungry. I could eat as much as you right now."

"_I can't help it if I have a big appetite! I'm a growing boy!"_

"You're like a black hole," Yugi teased. "But seriously, I'm getting hungry, and I don't feel like cleaning my room anymore."

"_When do ya ever clean your room?" _Jou asked, and Yugi could tell he rolled his eyes.

"I do too clean! I just don't like to do it, and I'm very lazy when I do."

"_Why don't ya get Ryou ta clean it?"_

"I asked him once, and he had the nerve to charge me! He wanted five dollars just to vacuum! Can you believe him!"

Jou just laughed. "_He has ta make money too, ya know."_

"Not from me! He should go work with Malik if he wants money."

"_Ya know he was considering dat a while ago."_

"Really?" Yugi asked, walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. "I thought he didn't want to work there because Malik would disturb him."

"_Which is why he applied at da arcade. He's going to an interview on Friday. He'll most likely get it."_

"I hope he does. He can give us free tokens," Yugi replied with a laugh. "But anyway, I am really hungry, so I'm gonna go eat. I'll call you later, ok."

"_Sure. Bye, Yug'."_

"Bye." Yugi hung up just as Sugoroku walked up from the store.

"Finally off the phone with Jou?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm sooo hungry!" Yugi whined while searching through the pantry and refrigerator. "Why don't we have anything good to eat?"

"Why didn't you go shopping today?"

"Because I had to help you with the store, remember," the teen said, mock glaring at the elder Mouto. "Or have you forgotten how you forced your poor grandson to slave away in the back room getting things ready for the new display?"

"You could have quit any time," Sugoroku said, taking a seat at the table.

"You would have given me a guilt trip. And for making me slave away and making me miss going shopping, I'm going to order pizza."

"This is the third time this week you've eaten pizza," Sugoroku said while shaking his head. "You need to eat healthy things."

"I would if we had food," Yugi retorted, picking up the phone and dialing the pizza place. "And I'm ordering a large, because I'm extra hungry."

"After this, I'm going to be extra poor," Sugoroku said.

"You always say that," Yugi said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, pizza is good, and I don't care that I've eaten it three times this week."

"One day you'll be fat," Sugoroku teased.

"That's so mean! I'm not going to get fat, because I'm too cute to get fat!" Sugoroku chuckled, and Yugi stuck out his tongue at him before talking to the person on the other side. "Besides," he said after he hung up, "I've been eating junk food all my life and I'm as skinny as a stick."

"It'll catch up to you one day."

"You are so mean, jii-chan!"

"It's a perk of being your elder."

"Senile old bat," Yugi mumbled, and Sugoroku just laughed. "Why can't the pizza get here faster?" Yugi whined.

"You really need to learn patience."

"Patience is for non starving people," said Yugi as he tackled the fruit bowl and began devouring a banana.

"I'll be upstairs," Sugoroku said as he pulled out his wallet. "Here's some money, and this time make sure you don't give the delivery guy a ten dollar tip."

"That was only once, and I was too blind from the camera flashes to see properly!" Yugi defended around a mouthful of banana. Sugoroku chuckled and made his way upstairs, leaving Yugi all alone in the kitchen. Grabbing another banana, the teen made his way to the couch where he lay down and stared at the ceiling. Thursday night television sucked, so he was stuck being bored.

'I wonder how Yami's doing,' the teen thought. 'For some reason I feel worried. I wish I could see him again, just to show myself that nothing is wrong. I really hope he's ok.' Yugi shook his head in an attempt to get the paranoid thoughts to leave. 'No, of course he's ok. I just saw him yesterday, and he was fine…I think. No, no, no, I know he was fine. He wouldn't have come back to see me if he wasn't ok. Damnit, now I'm just making myself more worried.'

Yugi bit his lip, and began to twirl the bracelet around. 'I can't think like this! I know he's fine. He can't be hurt. Not him. He's too strong to be hurt. But I can't stop worrying. Damnit! I really wish I could see him again.' Yugi just couldn't calm down, and even the bracelet wasn't helping. This worried feeling just wouldn't go away. It was like a constant tug in his heart, telling him that Yami was suffering somehow.

"Please be ok, Yami," Yugi whispered. 'Everything will be fine, so please be ok. Just hang on for a bit longer, please.' After that Yugi felt a bit better. Not much, but enough to calm him down and to keep him from being paranoid. A few minutes later the pizza finally arrived, and Yugi ran down the stairs to answer the door. Paying the delivery guy his money, Yugi raced into the kitchen and began to quickly eat the pizza. He hadn't been so hungry in forever. And it wasn't just because he missed today's lunch. He worked too hard earlier.

As he was on his second piece, Sugoroku came back downstairs. The elder Mouto rolled his eyes and chuckled as he watched his grandson shove the slice in his mouth. "Eat like that, and you'll choke."

"Too hungry to care," Yugi replied, dipping the pizza in the garlic sauce. He loved garlic sauce! It was the best thing to ever happen to pizza besides pepperoni.

"Of course you are," Sugoroku said, reaching for his own piece.

They started to talk about random things for a while, till it fell silent. Yugi noticed that his grandfather kept glancing over at him, which made him annoyed and curious. "Jii-chan, stop looking at me and spill."

"Yugi…the school called today," Sugoroku said seriously. Yugi was about to take another bite from his slice, but stopped to stare at his grandpa. "They've noticed that you seem very distant from others lately."

"And what did you tell them?"

"Nothing. Because I don't know anything. I said you have been a bit sick lately and left it at that."

"Great. Now they'll think I'm anti-social _and_ diseased," Yugi said with a groan. "Everything I've always wanted."

"Yugi, why won't you tell me what's been going on?" Sugoroku asked. "Are you really sick? Do you need to go to a doctor?"

"No, jii-chan, I am not sick!" Yugi yelled, before letting out a deep sigh. "I've just been more lazy lately. I don't know why. It's probably just a phase." All of that was complete bull, but Yugi had to say something to get his grandpa off his case about it. He hated lying to the elder, but there was no other way.

"That is possible," the elder said with a nod. "I went through many phases when I was your age. Let's just hope it goes away soon. I prefer the cheery, hyper version of you. This new you is just so dull."

"Thanks for the compliment, jii-chan," Yugi said with a smirk. 'Though I don't think I'll be cheery for a while. Not till I can put Yami behind me. Or at least until I know he's ok. I still feel a bit worried.'

"Yugi, the trash is full. It's your turn for garbage duty."

"Amazing how it's _always_ my turn for garbage duty," Yugi muttered as he stood up from the table.

"Isn't it funny how it works out that way?"

"Funny 'ha ha' or funny 'pain in my ass'?"

"Which ever suits you. I prefer the ha ha," Sugoroku said while washing his hands.

"It's only funny because you don't have to do this. I swear I'm more your maid than your grandson," said Yugi as he closed the garbage bag and picked it up.

"Sorry, I just can't picture you in a maid's dress. Besides, if I don't call you a maid, I don't have to pay you."

"You don't pay me either way! And allowances don't count!" Yugi yelled as he walked down the stairs and outside. "Maid's dress," he muttered, going to the dumpster on the corner of the street. "I more of a slave than anything."

Yugi decided to take his time walking back since it was a nice night. The sky was cloudless and the stars shone brightly, even over the lights of the city. There was even a light breeze, which was a welcome change from the overbearing heat of the afternoon. It was nice and peaceful tonight, which was good because it helped Yugi calm down a bit too.

But he just couldn't get over the feeling that something was way off. And it definitely had to do with Yami. But it was impossible to figure out what was wrong, since they were so far away from each other. Hopefully everything would work out fine. For Yami's sake, and for Yugi's nerves. He couldn't take much more of this constant worry, otherwise he'd completely lose it.

He was almost back to his house when suddenly a figure dropped from the roof of the neighboring house and pulled him in the small passage between both houses. Yugi was too terrified to move as the figure pulled him into an embrace and held him close. 'What the hell?' his mind screamed. But as the seconds went on he realized that he recognized this person. He recognized whose arms were holding him tightly. He recognized the warmth radiating from the trembling body.

"Yami?"

-------------tbc------------

Star: Aww, wasn't this just a great chapter? X3

Yugi: So the others have finally met. Yay!

Star: All except Seto/Jou and Otogi/Honda.

Yami: Seto's such a jerk. ;fumes;

Star: But Bakura's such a loyal friend. X3

Yami: Meh. But I like the part with Yugi in the maid's dress ;perverted smile;

Yugi: Eh! That will never happen!

Star: If you say so. See ya next time everyone!

Yugi: Wait! What does that mean!


	11. Revelations

Star: OH MY GOOD GOD! I am so sorry everyone! I never meant to take this long on updating! I just completely lost my inspiration! And then I didn't even touch my laptop for weeks. And then school started. And then I got my senior ring which didn't fit and had to be sent back. And I'm making so many excuses, but OH MY GOD! I can't believe it's been almost three months without an update! I promise not to take too long ever again if I can help it!

So since I took far far FAR too long to update, I'm not going to keep you with a boring author note. So enjoy this long overdue chapter, and please watch for the next one of Bright Shadows and A Mask Over My Heart

Disclaimer: don't own. Can't sue

"Speech"

"**Shadow Language"**

'thoughts'

**(p.s. Special treat for all my readers at the bottom for being so patient with me)**

--------------Revelations-----------

"Yami? What are you doing here?" Yugi was more than confused. What was going on? Hadn't Yami said yesterday that he wouldn't be able to come back? Was this really him, or had Yugi finally gone crazy?

"I'm sorry," the Shadow said quietly, his body still shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Now Yugi was even more confused. What could he possibly be apologizing for? He had done nothing wrong…or… "Yami, what's wrong?"

The Shadow didn't answer him. He just kept mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over. He held the human as tightly as he could, and yet his body was still trembling. His breathing was irregular, and his voice kept breaking, as if he was trying to hold back sobs. His eyes were clenched shut, and it looked like tears were trying to escape. Yugi could hear the pain in his voice each time he spoke, and it felt like with each sob the other took his heart broke into pieces.

Yugi had absolutely no idea how to react. He wasn't used to seeing Yami act like this. Yami was normally so calm and collected, but now…he was so vulnerable. He looked like he could shatter any second. Yugi's once strong, confident Shadow was now shaking in his arms, and there it seemed as if there no way to stop him. So Yugi did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He slowly wrapped his arms around the other and held him close, softly stroking the King's hair and whispering soothing words to him. He needed Yami to calm down, otherwise he'd never figure out what was wrong.

Finally, after a few minutes, Yami started to calm down a little. His breathing was becoming normal, and his body wasn't shaking as much. For this, Yugi was glad. Though Yami still kept repeating 'I'm sorry' all the time. Yugi would get to that part later, but for now he just wanted Yami to relax. Quickly looking at his watch, Yugi mentally groaned when he saw it was past ten thirty. 'Jii-chan's going to be worried if I don't get back soon. But I can't just leave Yami. Not when he's like this. What to do?' "Yami, listen to me," he said softly, "I have to go back inside."

And suddenly Yami began shaking again, his grip tightening so Yugi couldn't escape. He began to shake his head, and muttered 'no'. It was obvious that he wasn't going to let Yugi go, and the human sighed. Great, just when he finally got Yami to calm down. "Yami, my jii-chan will get worried if I don't go back. I'm going to go to my room and open the window, so you can come in. It'll only be a few minutes, I promise. So please let me go."

Yami didn't reply and for a second Yugi thought he wasn't going to listen, when the King slowly withdrew his arms. Yugi looked up at him, but Yami turned his head, refusing to open his eyes. Yugi stood there a second before taking off towards his house. Quickly he ran up the stairs into the living room where Sugoroku was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"What's the rush, Yugi?" he asked.

"I just remembered I forgot to do my math homework," Yugi said rapidly as he went upstairs to his room, closing the door and locking it. He leaned against the door to catch his breath before rushing over to the window. He opened it then stepped back. Suddenly Yami dropped from the roof and jumped into the room, immediately rushing over and pulling Yugi back into his arms. Yugi led him to the bed where they sat down.

"Yami, what's wrong?" he asked again. But the Shadow still didn't respond. "Yami, please tell me what's wrong. Did something happen?" The King shook his head. "Then what?"

"I'm sorry," was all Yami said.

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry for everything."

"What do you mean 'everything'? You haven't done anything at all."

"No, I did," Yami said, shaking his head. "I hurt you last night. I keep hurting you, I keep making you cry. I don't want to do that."

"Yami, don't blame yourself for that. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is! Because of me, you are unhappy. I know it! I could sense your sadness a mile away, and I hate it! I hate that I'm the reason you are sad."

"You aren't!" Yugi said. "I'm sad because you left. I didn't want you to leave me. I'm happy when you are here, don't you get that?"

"You can't be happy. You can't possibly be happy with me," the Shadow mumbled, resting his head on Yugi's shoulder. "Not with someone like me."

"What do you mean 'someone like you'? You are my friend, Yami."

"But how? How could you possibly consider me your friend? I mean, you're human and I'm not! You should hate me, fear me. You should throw me out, not embrace me like this! You shouldn't…you shouldn't…" Yami stopped before he broke down completely.

"How could you think that?" Yugi asked quietly, hugging Yami tighter. "How could you think that I would hate you because of what you are? I don't care at all about any of that stuff. I never did. All I care about is that you are my friend. I could never hate you, no matter what happens."

"But why? I don't understand why," Yami said, finally looking at Yugi. "Why do you care for me?"

"Because I do," Yugi replied, looking into the King's cheerless eyes. "You are my friend, no matter what. I will always care about you, because you are a special person to me. I'm not going to abandon you because of some stupid fights of the past. You mean too much to me, don't you get it?"

Yami didn't reply. He just hung his head and looked away. Yugi sighed and began to gently stroke the Shadow's hair, hoping it would calm him down some more. Something must have happened to make Yami act this way. Could it have been during their meeting yesterday? Why was he suddenly so confused about their friendship? Didn't he want to be friends anymore?

Yugi was confused, but he also felt hurt. Did Yami really think that he would suddenly start hating him? Did Yami think that he would push him away just because of him being a Shadow? Yugi would never do that. He wasn't going to be like the humans of the past who detested the Shadows for no good reason. He could never hate Yami. Even if Yami destroyed the world, Yugi would never hate him. Because love was stronger than hate.

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in his own thoughts. What could they do? What could they say to make things better? Where could they go from here? It was true that keeping their friendship would be hard, but did that mean it was impossible? Couldn't they overcome this? Or were Shadows and humans destined to be enemies forever? Couldn't they make that choice for themselves? So many questions that they didn't have the answers to.

"Do you think it's wrong for us to be friends?" Yami suddenly asked.

"No," Yugi replied immediately. "Do you?"

"Of course not. But other people do. Too many people."

"Your people?"

Yami nodded. "They all hate humans. I can't change that. If given the choice, I probably wouldn't anyway. I still don't like humans. I can't help but hate them. But not you. You are different. I can't hate you, no matter what the others say. I can't leave you either. I don't want to leave you. I don't ever want to forget you…and…I don't want you to forget me."

"I would never forget you, Yami." The Shadow didn't reply. He just sat there, a despondent look on his face. "Yami?"

"Last night…the real reason I came was…because I was supposed to erase your memories of me," Yami said quietly.

"Erase…" Yugi repeated with a frown. "But why?"

"Because it would be for the best. Not just for my people, but for you as well. If anyone found out you knew about us, you would be in danger. I don't want anything to happen to you because you met me."

"Then why didn't you do it?" Yugi asked, looking away from the other. 'Is that the reason he came back today? Because he didn't do it yesterday?'

"Because I couldn't. I didn't want to. I never wanted to do it in the first place. But I would do anything to keep you safe, even if it means you forget all about me forever." Yami cupped Yugi's chin and lifted the boy's face towards him. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you because you were trying to protect me. I'm not worth it."

"Yes you are," Yugi defended. "I would do anything to keep you safe. I'll carry your secret till the day I die."

"But it's too much pressure. I can't give you such a burden."

"It's not a burden! I want to keep you safe! You are my friend, and I'm doing this because I care for you."

"I just don't understand," the Shadow said with a sigh. "How can you think of me as your friend?"

"How can you do the same?" Yugi replied.

"Because…you are different from others. You are kind, and gentle, and you are the only human I've ever met that accepted me for who I really am."

"And I always will. I don't care what others thought in the past. I'm never going to believe those lies. You aren't evil, or a monster. You are a wonderful person, and you will always be my friend."

Yami pulled him into another hug, and held him close. "Thank you," he whispered. Yugi nodded and placed his head on Yami's shoulder. "I just don't know what to do," the King said. "I'm torn between you and my people. No matter what I do I have to sacrifice something. But I don't want to give you up."

Yugi stayed silent for a while, thinking things over. It really wasn't fair that Yami had to give up something he cared about. He was forced into doing this, and he was suffering. But what could Yugi do? He was just a human. There was only one thing he could do, but he didn't really want to do it. 'I have to do it, for his sake. I don't want him to suffer through this anymore.' "Yami, erase my memories."

"WHAT!" the Shadow exclaimed. "No! No, Yugi, I won't do it!"

"Yami, listen to me," the teen said calmly. "It's for the best. You know that. Everything will be fine."

"No! I don't want to! I can't, don't you see? I just can't do it!" the Shadow said, pushing Yugi away.

"Yami, you know that it has to be done."

"But why? Why does it have to be this way? Why do I have to lose you?" Yami said, biting his lip in a desperate attempt to keep his emotions in check.

"You won't really lose me," Yugi replied, wrapping his arms around the Shadow again. "You'll still remember me. And even though my memories will be gone, I know a part of you will still be with me. You'll always have a special place in my heart."

"No! I won't do it! I refuse!"

"Yami, you are being selfish," Yugi reprimanded.

"I don't care if I'm being selfish!" the King yelled, standing up. "All my life I've had to give up things that were important to me. But not now, not you. I won't give you up no matter what. I'd give everything else up just to keep you."

"You won't be happy," Yugi said quietly.

"Yes I will! I don't need anything else. I don't need to have these powers. I don't need to be king. I don't need anything at all if I can keep you in my life."

Yugi stood up and walked over to the other. "You know that's not true," he said as he pulled the other into another hug. "By saying that, you set yourself up to be hurt. I don't want you to have to deal with this. Not because of someone so insignificant as me."

"You aren't insignificant! You are very important! I don't give a fuck about anything else anymore. But I will not give you up. Not you. Anything but you!" The Shadow's body began to tremble again, and he was finding it harder and harder to stay calm. He just wanted to rant and scream and cry and curse fate as loud as he could for screwing him over yet again.

"It can't be, Yami," Yugi said softly, pushing the other away gently. "As much as I want it, it just can't be. You have to put your people first, not me. It is for the best if we both forget about each other and never see each other again."

"Are you giving up so easily?" Yami asked sadly. Was this the end? Was it all over for good?

"What else can I do? No matter what you say, we both know that it can't be. You have to erase my memories to keep your people safe."

"There are other ways," Yami replied, almost desperately.

"There is no other way," Yugi said with a sad smile. "You know that this is the only option. You knew from the beginning that things wouldn't work out. We both knew, but neither wanted to admit it."

"No one has to know."

"It won't work."

"We can keep it a secret."

"It won't work!"

"We don't have to sacrifice our friendship."

"Damnit, it won't work!" Yugi yelled. "Why are you being so stubborn!"

"I'm not being stubborn! I'm just trying to save our friendship! Unless you don't care anymore!" Yami yelled back.

"Of course I care! But what the hell do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you not to give up so easily! If I had known you were so willing to end it, I wouldn't have come!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have!"

"You don't mean that," Yami said quietly.

"Of course I don't," Yugi said, sitting back on his bed. "But what can we do? Everyone is against us."

"So what? I don't care what they think. They can fuck off for all I care!"

"You are so stubborn!" Yugi said, tears of frustration beginning to form. "You aren't the only one who has to give something up. You're only thinking of yourself! But what about the people who depend on you? What about the people who care for you? How can you be so damn selfish at a time like this?"

Yami watched silently as the tears began their descent down Yugi's cheeks. With a sigh he knelt down and gently wiped them away. "I'm sorry," he said tenderly. "I made you cry again. This is what I'm afraid of. I don't want to hurt you ever, but that's all I ever do."

"Idiot," Yugi mumbled between sobs. "You make things so hard for me. I cry when you leave. I cry because I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again. I cry when I realize that it's impossible for us to be friends. I cry because I worry about you. I cry because life is so unfair, and I cry because I can't do anything _but_ cry."

Yami opened his mouth to say something when a knock at the door came. "Yugi, are you ok?" Sugoroku asked.

"I'm fine!" Yugi answered a little too quickly, rubbing vigorously at his cheeks to erase the tear tracks.

"I heard you yelling before."

"Everything's fine, jii-chan!"

"Alright. But it's late. You should go to bed."

"Ok!" Yugi replied as he watched the other head over to the window. "Don't leave," he pleaded.

"What else can I do? I refuse to erase your memories, but by being here I'm hurting you. I don't know what to do," the Shadow replied.

"If you leave now, you're not going to come back, are you?"

"No."

"Then don't leave," the teen said, latching onto Yami's right arm. "Don't leave me again."

"I thought you wanted me to erase your memory."

"I do…I mean…I don't know anymore. I don't want you to have to deal with this anymore, but I don't want to lose you either."

"Now you know what I'm going through. But either way, I can't stay any longer. You need to sleep, and I have to get back to the palace."

"Promise me, Yami! Promise me that you will come back! Please promise me! I won't let you go till you promise me," Yugi begged, another tear falling down his cheek.

Yami smiled kindly, and kissed him gently on the forehead. "I promise. I'll come back no matter what. But you have to promise me that you won't give up on us yet."

"I won't! I promise I won't give up!" Yugi responded. "Goodnight."

"Night," the King said. His wings then burst from his back, and he climbed out the window. He then turned around in the air, and floated in front of the window. "Yugi, promise me something else," he said seriously. "No more crying."

Yugi blinked before letting out a smile, and wiping away the remainder of his tears. "Ok. I promise."

"Good." Yami then reached over and hugged him again. "**I love you, Yugi," **he whispered in the Shadow language. He then pulled back to see Yugi looking at him in confusion. In a way, Yami wished the human could understand his people's language. He didn't know if he'd ever have enough courage to speak it in Japanese. "Bye," he said with a smile before taking off into the night.

--------

Hours later, back at the palace, Bakura was sleeping deeply in his large, yet messy, bed. He was laying on his back with his left arm covering his eyes from the sun. Shifting slightly in his sleep his black sheets slipped from the edge of the bed, leaving him completely exposed save for his boxers. A cool breeze wafted through the open doors to the balcony, and Bakura shivered. Reaching around for the sheets with his right hand, he knocked against the bedside table, causing the alarm clock to fall to the ground with a loud thud, setting off the alarm.

Bakura shot up when he heard the piercing ring of the clock. Looking around angrily, he finally found the noisy machine and with a flick of his wrist the clock became nothing more than a pile of smoldering ashes. 'Stupid clock! Waking me up from such a good dream!' Ah yes, his dream. The first time a human was in his dream and didn't die. Of course that human was the pretty, little Ryou. But he'd never tell anyone that. Especially since many not so innocent things happened in said dream. 'This is just wonderful,' Bakura thought with a smirk. 'I've had a wet dream of a human. Things can't get any more fucked up than that.'

With a sigh, he lay back down on the bed. He wasn't disgusted so much as confused. Sure he thought Ryou was cute for a human, but that didn't mean he was going to change his entire outlook on the human race. Especially not because of one of that Yugi kid's friends. He wasn't about to turn into Yami, going completely crazy over some human boy. He hated humans, would always hate them. Ryou was no different.

"I wonder what Marik thinks of his double," Bakura mused quietly. According to Marik, his human counterpart was shorter with light lavender eyes and non spiky hair. Apparently he also had a short temper, but became embarrassed easily. His name was Malik or something. But that was all he knew, since Marik refused to tell him anymore. He just smiled and said 'it's a secret'. How annoying.

Letting out a yawn, Bakura flicked his right wrist and a new alarm clock appeared on the bedside table. Turning over he glanced at the bright green numbers. 'Almost eight. I should get up. I should…but I won't. I feel like being lazy today.' Just as he thought that, someone knocked at his door. "What is it?" he snapped.

"Lord Bakura, a young priestess is here to see you," a maid said.

"Is it Reika?" Bakura asked, sitting up immediately when he heard priestess.

"Yes, my Lord. She is waiting in your study right now."

"Fine," the Shadow said, jumping out of bed and heading to his closet. "Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Very well," the maid said before leaving.

'I wonder if she finally figured out those visions,' Bakura thought hopefully. 'I hope they aren't bad omens. It's bad enough that she couldn't figure them out at first. The last thing we need is for more shit to happen. We can't deal with that. Yami can't deal with that. Not in the state he's in.' After getting dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, Bakura rushed out of his room and ran down the hall to the grand stairway. Opting to jump over the railing instead of going down the steps, Bakura fell past the third floor and landed gracefully on the second floor and dashed off towards his study.

Once he neared the room he slowed down. He didn't want to come in out of breath and exhausted. Standing outside the door, he took a deep breath before opening the doors. "Hello, Reika," he said, flashing a dazzling smile at the blonde priestess.

"Good morning, Lord Bakura," she said while she and her two companions bowed. "I hope I did not disturb you."

"Nonsense, I always have time for you," he replied with a wink. Inwardly he smirked when he saw the blush that painted her cheeks. If she wasn't a priestess, he'd probably date her. She was his type. But then, Ryou was his type too. But he was human, so that didn't count…did it? "So why have you come?" he asked, hoping to get his mind off the human teen.

"I have finally been able to decipher a part of the vision," Reika said happily.

"That's great!" Bakura replied, sitting behind his desk. "What has my Aunt said?"

"Well…I still have not been able to contact her," Reika said, her demeanor faltering a bit. With a sad sigh she sat down in the chair before the desk, the two other women standing next to her. "I believe there is something blocking me from speaking with her. I do not know what it is, but I can definitely sense a barrier of some sort. But what confuses me is that Lady Aine does not seem very concerned about it."

"Well, if she's not concerned then obviously it's not a big deal," Bakura said after some thought. "If it was important she would be trying as hard as she could to get through to you. Give it some time. But now tell me, what have you seen in your vision?"

Reika nodded and closed her eyes. "I see a great field of flowers," she said after a minute. "Flowers as far as the eye can see. Big flowers in full bloom with dazzling colors. This signifies happiness."

"So there is happiness to come?" the male Shadow asked. "That's good. Yami needs to get his mind off depressing things. What else?"

"There is someone standing in the field facing away from me," the young priestess continued. "It is a male. A young boy, I believe."

"Is it Yami?"

"No. I do not know who it is, but it is not the Master. All I know is that there is a gentle aura around the boy. It is comforting and warm, and very kind. He is a kind soul. This boy is special, I know for sure. When I look at him I feel as if my troubles are washed away, and I feel at ease," Reika said with a fond smile. "He is a friend. Someone very dear."

'Yugi,' Bakura thought. 'It has to be him. There is no other person Yami cares more for. It's not a good thing that he's in her vision.' "But what's the bad part?"

Reika frowned and lowered her head. "I see dark clouds forming on the horizon. Black shadows crawl through the flowers towards the boy. Trouble is coming, big trouble. I sense that we are no longer alone. Someone is there with the boy, but I do not know where nor who it is."

"That boy is going to die, isn't he?" Bakura asked gravely.

"I do not know," Reika replied quietly. "That is as far as I have been able to see. I cannot even see who the other person is. That boy with the gentle aura brings a great evil with him, but not willingly. The evil will seek him out and try to destroy him. He will either die along with the entire Shadow race, or he will save us all."

"Are you positive?" Bakura asked, staring her in the eye. "Are you absolutely positive, Reika? I want to know if that boy will die or not. And what exactly do you mean by 'save us all'?"

"I believe he will give strength to the Master. Strength to defeat these new enemies that have appeared. But I fear that it will not be enough. This boy, this pure soul, will give all his strength to the Master to help him. But that may be his downfall. The Master will be defeated and the boy's death will be in vain. Or he may give his life to save the Master and in turn save everyone."

"But either way he dies, am I right?"

"Sadly, I believe that is his fate," Reika replied.

'Damnit! That's not good at all!' Bakura thought as he turned to look out the window. 'Why Yugi of all people? Why does it have to be him in the vision? If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter. But of course it has to be the one person Yami loves. He's going to die, there's no way around it. He's going to die and destroy us all, or die and save us all. But either way his fate is sealed. Yugi is going to die.'

"This troubles you," stated Reika.

"Of course it does. Someone is going to die, and his death may very well ruin us all. Worse, it's someone innocent. He's going to be sacrificed, and for what? For the hope that maybe everything will turn out right? It's ridiculous!" Bakura yelled, slamming his fist on the desk.

"Should I inform the Master?"

"NO!" Bakura yelled, startling the three women. "Do not tell him anything. I don't want him worrying about this, not until I know for sure what will happen to the boy."

"What will you do about the boy, Lord Bakura?"

"What will I do? What _can_ I do? I can't change fate. If that boy is destined to die, what am I supposed to do about it?"

"But do you want him to die?"

"…no," Bakura said quietly. "I don't want him to die. I wouldn't want him to be used as a sacrificial lamb. But there is nothing I can do. I could try my hardest to protect him, but in the end it would be a waste."

"I do not wish to see that boy die. He is far too gentle and pure to suffer that way," Reika said with a sigh. "But maybe things will change. Hopefully they will change once I see the rest of my vision. But for now all I get are colors. Colors and noises."

"What about the person who is screaming?"

"There are still no words. It's just a loud, pain filled scream."

"Reika, could the person who is screaming be the boy?"

"I hope to the gods it isn't," she replied. "I do not even want to think about that. If it really is the boy who is screaming, then there is no doubt he will die."

'He can't die. Not Yugi. If he dies it's all over. Yami won't live without him, that's obvious. There must be a way for his fate to be changed. There has to be a way!' "Reika, try as hard as you can to see if there is a way to prevent this boy's death. That boy cannot die!"

"Do you know who he is, my Lord?"

Bakura sighed loudly and covered his eyes with his hand. "I can't tell you anything right now, Reika. Just trust me when I say that he's important. If he dies then our race dies with him, but not for the reasons you think."

"I will try my hardest to figure out the rest of the vision, my Lord. And I will try to contact Lady Aine."

"Good. This is very important, Reika, and I'm putting all my faith in you to figure this out," Bakura said while standing.

"I promise that I won't let you down, my Lord," Reika said as she stood up as well.

"Do not tell a single person what was said in here," he ordered. "Same goes for you two," Bakura said, looking at the other two women. The women bowed and vowed to keep the secret. "If this got around to Yami, all hell would break loose. Worse if the enemy found out." The four walked out of the study, down the hall, and down the grand stairway. Now in the great entrance hall, Bakura stopped Reika, and pulled her close. "If you can, try and get a description of the boy," he whispered to her. "I want to make sure it's really who I think it is."

"I will try, but the boy was too far for me to make out details," Reika responded just as quietly. "However, what should we do if the Master finds out?"

"Leave that to me. You just concentrate on the visions." Bakura then ordered two guards to accompany the women back to the temple. After they had left, the silver haired Shadow decided to go back to his room to try and figure things out. It was obvious that the human would play a big role in their lives. Which was completely unexpected. A human held the fate of the entire Shadow race in his hands, and he didn't even know it. And not just any human, the one Yami happened to be in love with.

'Damnit all. Why him? He can't die, he just can't. If only there was something I could do! But I can't without getting Yami suspicious. Yami won't give up on him, and that's putting Yugi in danger. There has to be something I can do to change all this. Though telling Yami is out of the question. I can just imagine that conversation. 'By the way, Yami. The person you love more than anything in the world is going to die soon and it's all your fault.' Yea that would go over real well. He would never leave Yugi's side if he knew Yugi was going to die.'

Reaching the fourth landing, Bakura glanced to his left down the hall where Yami's bedroom was. The King's bedroom plus his private drawing room next to it took up most of the left side of the fourth floor. Seto's room took up the rest of the space. Bakura and Marik's bedrooms were on the right side on the fourth floor. It was arranged in order of rank so it would be easy to find the rooms. Bakura stood at the top of the stairs for a minute, just looking down towards Yami's bedroom. With a sigh he started to make his way down there. 'This isn't going to be easy.'

Once he reached the large oak doors, he knocked twice. 'Please don't answer, please don't answer,' he repeated in his mind. Sadly he heard Yami tell him to come in. Taking a deep breath, Bakura opened the door and hoped that Yami wouldn't notice anything wrong. "Hi," he said calmly.

"Hi," Yami repeated, not getting up from where he was lying on the bed. "What's got you so worried?"

'Damnit, he noticed!' "Nothing," Bakura lied, still trying to act calm. "Its just some minor thing of mine."

"I see," Yami replied, staring at the ceiling.

"So," said Bakura as he lay down on the bed next to the King, "you went back to him."

"Yes, I did."

"What happened?"

"You won't believe it," Yami replied, shaking his head. "I still don't believe it. I told him that I was supposed to erase his memories."

"You told him?" Bakura asked.

"Yea. I told him I was supposed to, but didn't because I didn't want to. And then he told me to do it!"

"…what?" Bakura was now confused. He figured Yugi wouldn't want to forget about Yami.

"My thoughts exactly. He said it would be best for both of us if we forgot about each other and moved on. But I couldn't do it. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it. I just can't bear to lose him."

"You really do love him."

"More than anything in the world. He means everything to me," Yami replied with a soft smile. "I love him."

"More than you love me?" Bakura teased. "I'm hurt."

"At least he's not an annoying prick like you," Yami mumbled, turning over so that he was spooning Bakura's left side.

"You are so mean," Bakura whined, reaching over with his left hand and grazing his claws over a certain spot on the back of the King's neck.

"It's a perk of being the King," Yami purred in reply, his eyes drooping half way shut and becoming foggy with delight. "Damn you."

Bakura chuckled as he continued to run his claws over that one spot. "You purr like a little kitten," he said. Yami tried to growl at him, but instead it came out a soft purr to his annoyance.

"I hate you," Yami said, trying and failing to sound menacing.

"I know you do," Bakura replied, still caressing that one spot. "So what are you going to do about the whole thing?"

"I don't know. He tells me to do it, but I know he doesn't really want it. Yugi thinks that if his memories are erased things would become easier for me."

"So he's being selfless about the whole thing?"

"Yes. But I still don't want to do it."

"Aren't you worried something might happen to him?" Bakura asked.

"Of course I am! It worries me every minute. And the fact that I can't be there with him the whole time worries me more. And I can't help but blame myself a bit for putting him in such a position. Being friends with me is dangerous for him, but I just can't give him up. I really don't know what I'm going to do about it."

"And he has no idea about how you feel?"

"No. He doesn't have a clue," the Shadow King said, tilting his neck to give Bakura better access.

"Are you ever going to tell him?"

"At the rate things are going, I don't think we're going to be friends long enough for me to get to that point. Besides, he doesn't feel the same."

"How do you know that?"

"I just know. I'm nothing more than a friend to him. I'll never be anything else."

"You could be wrong you know."

"No, I'm not," Yami said, shaking his head. "I know I'm not. He doesn't think of me that way."

"Don't you think it's a bit unfair that you are keeping something like this from him?" Bakura asked, using his left hand to move a strand of hair from his eye. Yami whined in disappointment, and Bakura resumed grazing his claws on the King's neck.

"Why do you care so much?" Yami asked as he began to purr again.

"I don't really care," Bakura replied with a shrug. "But you're always so depressed now. It's no fun teasing you anymore."

"Jerk," Yami replied, reaching up and yanking a strand of Bakura's hair.

"Bad kitty," Bakura said, batting Yami's hand away. "But really, you've been so down lately. I don't like this change in personality."

"I can't help it. Every moment away from him is hell, but I'm afraid that if I stay with him I'll hurt him. I've already made him cry too many times. It's like the worst form of torture." Yami closed his eyes and sighed. "But you don't know what that's like."

'I have a bad feeling I will very soon,' Bakura thought. "You have to deal with this one day, you know. If you keep putting this off you'll only hurt him more."

"I know, but…right now, I'm fine with just being his friend. I don't need to be anything else. Just knowing I have a place in his heart is fine."

"You lie," Bakura simply stated.

"I know," Yami replied with a sad smile. "But I'll have to settle for it. There's nothing else I can do."

'You don't realize you are putting him in danger. Don't wait too long to tell him the truth, or you'll never get another chance,' Bakura thought. 'I shouldn't want him to pursue a relationship with the human, but I can't help it. If the kid is going to die soon, then they should at least have one chance to be together.' "If you wait too long, you'll never get another opportunity to tell him."

"I realize that. And I'm afraid that one day he'll fall in love with someone else and forget all about me forever."

'He's not going to live long enough to fall in love with someone else.' "But you still aren't going to tell him."

"No. I can't do that to him. I can't burden him anymore. It's bad enough that he has to carry our secret. If I told him how I felt, it would be too much for him to handle. I can deal with never telling him. It'll be hard, but I can do it."

Bakura sighed. "You will regret it in the end," he said quietly. "You only have one chance. After that, it'll be gone forever."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked, sitting up a little.

"Nothing," Bakura replied, pushing the King back down. "I'm just babbling." 'For your sake and his, hurry up and tell him. So you'll have one less regret when he dies.' "So you plan on just staying friends forever?"

"It's better that way. I can watch over him and he doesn't have to be burdened with my feelings."

"If you think it's the best course of action, then go ahead."

"What else can I do?" Yami asked with a yawn, Bakura's slow, constant caressing making him sleepy.

"You have to figure that out on your own. Do what you think is best," Bakura said as he closed his eyes. 'But whatever you do, do it quickly.'

"I want to tell him I love him. But I want to keep him safe," the Shadow King said as he slowly drifted off to sleep, his purring slowing down into deep, even breaths.

'You better keep him safe as long as possible. If he has to die, at least make sure he's had a good life. And as your friend, I promise I'll protect him anyway I can.'

-------

Lunch that day at Domino was very quiet compared to usual. There was no laughter, no loud chattering, no pointless arguments, and no random glompings. It was just silent. Not an uncomfortable silence, just strange. It wasn't normal for that particular group of friends to be quiet for very long, especially during lunch. But today the three who usually made the group loud, Yugi, Ryou, and Malik, had spaced out looks on their faces. It was as if they were lost in their own worlds.

This, of course, made Honda, Jou, and Anzu curious as to why they were so quiet. Numerous attempts to get them to talk proved to be futile as the three refused to say anything about what was wrong. Occasionally a small conversation would begin, but it would end quickly as the boys drifted back off into their thoughts. Which got annoying to the others eventually.

"Seriously, guys! Why are ya all so quiet!" Jou yelled, unable to take the silence anymore. All he got in reply was stares from the boys before they turned away again. "Ugh! Why won't ya answer!"

"Did something happen?" Anzu asked.

"No," the three boys replied in unison.

"That's total bull," Honda said. "Otherwise you guys wouldn't be acting like this. What happened yesterday?"

"If you have to know," Malik said bitterly, "some jackass was hitting on me at work yesterday. And he had the fucking nerve to kiss me!"

"Did you tell your boss?" Anzu asked.

"No. I was too shocked to do anything. It wasn't until I got home that I realized what he'd done. Isis gave up on calming me down after ten minutes."

"What are you going to do if he comes back today?" Ryou asked.

"I don't have work today. So that guy can go molest someone else. Annoying bastard," Malik muttered.

"I ran into someone yesterday," Ryou said. "Three times actually. And I really _ran _into him. But he didn't really care, which was weird. He just said it was ok and smiled."

"Where did you meet him?" Yugi asked.

"Once in the park, and twice in the library. At the park I ran into him and made him land on his leg. And at the library I ran into him and dropped a book on his arm. I was so embarrassed!" the teen said, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"You weren't looking where you were going, were you?" Honda asked.

"No," Ryou replied sheepishly.

"How many times have we told you to look? And you still never do," Anzu said with a sigh.

"I can't help it! I forget!" Ryou defended. "Besides, he said it was ok."

"Did ya apologize?" asked Jou.

"Of course I did!"

"Good. And what about you, Yugi?" Malik asked, turning towards the teen.

Yugi just smiled a little and shook his head. "It's nothing. Just me being me."

"But you aren't normally this reserved," Anzu said.

"Anzu, stop," Honda whispered. "Don't push him."

"Did something happen while I was away?"

"No," Yugi said. "Nothing's happened. I've been a little less hyper lately, and they all think something's wrong."

The other boys exchanged glances but didn't say anything. They weren't going to start anything, especially since Anzu didn't know what had been going on. If she were to find out, she would pester Yugi constantly to find out the reason behind his change. Which would only make Yugi angry again, and then he would definitely never tell. They would tell her about everything when Yugi wasn't around. Then they would make her swear not to bring it up.

"So what are you guys gonna do this weekend?" asked Jou, once again trying to start a conversation.

"Nothing," Ryou replied. "I'm going to be bored all day.

"Well, I'm gonna go ta Honda's house ta swim," Jou said.

"Who said you were?" the brunette exclaimed.

"I did! So deal with it!"

"Hey, Yugi," Ryou said, turning towards the other. "Want to come over and be bored with me?"

"Jii-chan might need me for the shop," Yugi said. Actually that was a lie. He wanted time to think over what had happened last night. It was still so confusing to the human teen. The fact that Yami seemed to be troubled was of great concern to Yugi. It looked like the King was being torn apart inside. He had such a hard decision to make, one that would affect both their lives forever.

Besides, if he spent time with Ryou the teen would surely start asking him questions. He hadn't mentioned anything since the day Isis came, but Yugi knew it was only a matter of time. And if they were going to be away from their other friends, then Ryou would definitely take the opportunity to bring it up. And Yugi didn't want to talk about anything. Not just because he couldn't, but because he just didn't want to talk about it.

"Aww, you don't want to share in my boredom?" Ryou whined. But the truth was that Ryou had already figured out Yugi was lying. It was totally obvious. Especially since Yugi hadn't looked him in the eye. But that didn't matter. Ryou would get him to come over. But he wouldn't try to get Yugi to talk about the bracelet or the mysterious guy that gave it to him. In fact, he was going to try to get his mind off of all that. Though that might be hard with Yugi expecting the topic to come up all the time.

"I'll see what I can do," Yugi replied. "But who knows what might happen." Hopefully he would be able to see Yami again before the weekend. But since it was Friday, the probability of that happening was very low. And it wasn't as if he could go looking for Yami either. He had no clue where he lived, or even in what direction he lived in. He hated having to wait for something to happen. For once he wanted to take action and take things into his own hands.

"If you want, you guys can come to my house and swim, since apparently I'm having guests over," Honda offered.

"No! I claimed him first!" Ryou defended, clinging to Yugi. "You missed your chance, 'cause he's hanging out with me!"

"Well, apparently I'm hanging out with Ryou," Yugi said, attempting to pry Ryou off him with little success.

"Yes, you are. And don't try to get out of it with some half assed excuse either," Ryou warned, glaring at his friend.

"I have never done such a thing!" Yugi defended.

"Lies!"

"Yeah, well…bah!"

"Forgive me for interrupting this intellectual argument," Malik said, "but the bell just rang, and I don't feel like getting yelled at for being late."

The friends looked around and noticed that everyone else was getting up and heading back inside the building. Not wanting to be left behind, they quickly threw away their trash and rushed to their next classes. Ryou and Yugi had the next class together, so they rushed all the way to the other side of the school, just making it in the classroom before the tardy bell rang.

"Good thing we have western drama last," Ryou whispered from behind Yugi as he pulled out his binder and his Classic Greek Plays book.

"As long as she doesn't give us back our tests from last class," Yugi whispered back. "I didn't study, and I know I failed."

"I hate that she makes us write such long answers for the discussion questions. I never know if I've written enough."

"When you've used up two pages, then you've written enough," Yugi replied. The teacher then called for their attention as she began to explain how she graded the tests. She then handed them out row by row, finally coming to Yugi and Ryou's row. Yugi groaned when he saw the score on his paper. "I got a twenty out of fifty," he complained. "That's a forty. That's below an 'F'."

"I missed three questions," Ryou said, flipping through his paper. "And she took off points on a discussion because I 'didn't have enough points to support my statement'."

"At least you didn't fail," Yugi mumbled, completely annoyed. Sure he hadn't studied, but still it was annoying to see the bright green marks all over his test.

"You know we have another test next class."

"Don't tell me that!" Yugi said. "I'm not going to remember to study for that one either and then I'm going to fail yet another test."

"If you come over tomorrow we can study for a bit."

"You're like a slave driver when it comes to studying, you know that," Yugi muttered, passing his and Ryou's tests back up to the first person in the row. "Besides, I thought we were going to be bored tomorrow."

"What's more boring that studying?"

"Boys, stop talking," the teacher reprimanded from the front. The teens apologized then turned to listen to her lecture. It was something on how Greek plays influenced medieval plays or something like that. No one was really listening to her. Especially not Yugi, who, once again, was caught up in his thoughts on the Shadow King and the trouble Yugi was causing him.

'It's all my fault that he has so much to deal with now. If it weren't for me he wouldn't have to worry about the secret getting out or anything. If he would just get rid of my memories everything would be fine. For him anyway, but that's what's important. I don't care about myself at this time. All I want is for him to be happy and not have to bother with me. What good am I to him? I'm just a human who can't do anything and who's not important. He has more important things to deal with.'

Doodling on a piece of paper, Yugi continued to think about the problem at hand. What could he do to help Yami? Nothing really, but that wasn't going to stop him from thinking about it. There must be something he could do. Anything! But at the moment the only thing he could think of was having the Shadow erase his memories. And that was obviously not going to happen. Though Yugi wasn't quite sure he understood why Yami refused to do it. Sure, he didn't want to lose Yami as a friend either, but Yami was adamant about not getting rid of his memories. He had been protesting far too much. It was almost as if he were afraid to do it. But why would he be afraid? What would he be afraid of? Shouldn't Yami be relieved that he doesn't have to bother with Yugi anymore?

"You know," Ryou whispered to him, jerking Yugi from his thoughts, "if you aren't going to pay attention in class, don't complain about getting bad grades."

"Sorry, I'm just thinking about something," Yugi replied. Ryou raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Don't give me that look. I'm just thinking about nothing in particular Just random stuff."

"Liar."

"It's not nice to call people liars," Yugi muttered.

"But you _are_ lying. So I'm right in saying that."

"How do you know I'm lying then?"

"Because you are getting defensive."

"I am…well I wouldn't be getting defensive if you would stop accusing me of lying about something." 'Stupid Ryou. Calling me a liar. Just because I'd rather not tell him that I'm thinking of Yami. Because then he's going to start all over with asking me what's been going on when it's none of his business.'

"Fine, fine, I won't accuse you anymore," Ryou said. "And if you are going to 'think about nothing' as you put it, try not to stare at the teacher. Because then she's definitely going to know."

"Sure." 'Not like I care what the teacher does anyway. There are more important things than stupid drama class.' Reaching down to his wrist, Yugi began to twirl the bracelet around slowly, trying hard to think of a solution to his problem. 'I wish there was a way for me to see him. Instead of having to wait for him to come to me. But he probably won't come often anyway, seeing as how I'm the root of his problems. Damnit, if he would just erase my memories he wouldn't have a problem anymore! That stubborn, selfish fool. How can he think of himself at a time like this? Doesn't he know how much I'm worrying about him? Idiot. Goddamn idiot.'

Suddenly, Yugi felt a tear trickle down his cheek. 'What the…?' he thought as he wiped it away. 'Why did I start crying? Man, this is so lame. I can't believe I'm crying over this again. And in school! I promised Yami that I wouldn't cry anymore. And I can't let the teacher or anyone else see. Especially not Ryou. I'll just have to try harder not to cry again. I have to be strong. For his sake.'

Fortunately for Yugi, the rest of the period went by quickly, and soon it was almost time for the last bell to ring. Which was great, because Yugi really just wanted to go home and have some time to himself for a while. The past two days had been…very frustrating in every way. What with Yami coming to see him twice, and all the problems that arose because of his visits. And the fact that with each visit, the harsh fact that they could never be together stung even more. It felt like it was chipping away at his heart, and crushing his hope into tiny pieces.

Finally the bell rang, distracting him from his thoughts for a few minutes. Silently, Yugi headed towards his locker, Ryou following him. "Are you still mad at me?" the teen asked.

"No," Yugi replied. "I'm just tired, and annoyed that I failed that test."

"Well, now you know of the next test. So you can study."

"I never study," Yugi replied, throwing books into his locker and not caring if they got bent.

"Have you finished your history paper yet?" Ryou asked while leaning against the lockers, straightening Yugi's books for him.

"No. I have one paragraph left to do, but I don't know how to word it."

"I hate when that happens."

"When does that ever happen to you, Mr. 'I get straight 'A's all the time'?" Yugi asked as they began to walk to the exit.

"I don't get straight 'A's," Ryou said. "I've gotten a few 'B's."

"How many in the last year? Three? Five?"

"...two. And only on progress reports."

"And the rest were?"

"…'A's."

"My point exactly," Yugi said as they walked outside. They saw their friends standing at the gate and went over to them.

"Hey, Yug', ya busy today?" Jou asked.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Ya want ta go see a movie?"

"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood. Besides, I have to finish that history paper before I forget about it."

"I see," Jou replied, glancing at Ryou who just shrugged. "Well, maybe tomorrow den. If ya and Ryou aren't too busy being bored."

"Maybe. But now I have to get home and sleep. I dead tired," Yugi responded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ryou. Bye guys," he said, quickly running out the gate and disappearing around a corner.

"It's happening again," Ryou said unhappily. "He's getting distant again."

"Today he seemed really depressed," Malik commented. "Like he was that Saturday we went to the mall."

"Guys, what's been going on since I left?" Anzu asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"Your guess is as good as ours," Honda answered. "One day he just became really quiet and distant. When we asked what was wrong, he would get angry and yell at us to leave him alone. He'd been acting strangely that whole week."

"So no one knows what happened?" Anzu asked.

"Nope. But we think it might have something to do with why Ushio and his gang are unconscious in the hospital. They didn't come to school on Friday of that week and neither did Yugi," Malik responded.

'I don't think dat's the reason he's been acting dat way,' Jou thought. 'It has to be because of dat guy from da park. I will find out who dat guy is, an' what he's done to Yug'. Too bad I can't tell anyone else. But if I told den Yug' would find out. Den I'd never get anywhere. But I swear, I'll find out what's goin' on if its da last thing I do.'

------

'I can't wait to get home,' Yugi thought as he walked through the park. 'So I can finally relax. It has been a long, long week. At least no one can bug me anymore.' Heading in the direction of the tree, Yugi felt some of his worry fade away. Strange how just being in the place where he first met Yami made him feel so much better. Yet it had become his favorite spot in the whole park.

Sitting down beneath the tree, the boy leaned back and let his head rest on the bark. Here it felt like he was sheltered from the world. Like nothing could get him as long as he was near the tree. It was silly to think that way, but that was how he felt. It was the closest he could get to being near the Shadow. Then again he really could be going crazy. It was all possible. After all, finding out that he was going crazy wouldn't be a big surprise after finding Yami. Nothing could possibly top discovering the King of a secret species then falling in love with him. And Yugi dared anyone to try.

Checking his watch, he sighed when he realized he would have to go home soon. 'If I don't, I'll get in trouble. I can't believe I left my phone under my bed.' The one time he really needed a phone and he leaves it at home. Very smart. With another sigh he stood up and ran his hands across the damaged bark. 'I can't believe he only broke his wing. The entire tree is damaged. Well, I'm glad it was only his wing. If he had been hurt anymore…' Yugi stopped his thoughts there, before he started to get worried for no reason. The last thing he wanted to do at this time was picture Yami hurt badly. He would probably crack under the emotional stress, seeing as he was already at the breaking point.

'Well, time to go,' he said, slowly walking away from the tree. He hated leaving that spot, but he'd rather not get in trouble. Besides, he had no valid excuse for being late. 'I was obsessing over a tree where I found the love of my life who just happens to not be human.' Nope, that wouldn't work. 'I was distracted by a tree that was damaged because I met someone important to me there.' No, still wouldn't do. Either way, he had no excuse, because any excuse he created would surely mention Yami. And that was a BIG no no. Best to just stick with the 'I lost track of time' excuse.

Yugi pulled out his mp3 player and was about to put the headphones on when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to face a young man holding a map. "Yes?" he questioned.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you know where the library is?" the young man asked, his bright green eyes shimmering in the light.

"Actually, I'm heading in that direction. I'll tell you where to go when we split up," Yugi replied. Normally he wouldn't be so open to strangers, but the bracelet didn't seem to be reacting to him, so that must mean he wasn't threatening. Besides, there was something about this man that seemed kind. Like he had a gentle aura.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a nuisance," the man said, laughing sheepishly. "I'm kinda lost though."

"It's no problem," Yugi said heading off towards the end of the park, the man following him. "Did you just move here?"

"Not really. I'm doing some traveling around Japan, and happened to come here."

"That sounds fun. I wish I could do that, but I'm still in school," Yugi replied. "Why are you traveling?"

"I like adventure. I like looking for 'interesting' things. It's a…hobby of mine," the man replied, tightening his long ponytail. "Has anything interesting happened in this town lately?"

"Nope. Not a thing. This place is so boring," Yugi answered, hoping he hadn't answered too quickly. Figures the man would come looking for something exciting. And it figures he would run into the one person who was keeping the biggest, most exciting secret in the world. Coincidence? Or was just fate screwing around with his life again? It seemed to like doing that nowadays.

"Are you sure? Something about this place…it seems to be full of interesting things. But to find excitement, you have to know where to look. I have a feeling something big is hiding somewhere. I'm hoping to find it soon. It's just thrilling to think about it. That this big city could hide such a big secret."

"Oh?" Yugi asked, getting a bit nervous. But why should he get nervous? The man couldn't possibly know anything about the Shadow race…unless…'Calm down! I'm just getting paranoid for no reason.' "And what exactly would that 'big secret' be?"

"That I don't know yet. But I'm hoping to find it. There are always secrets everywhere. You might find them anywhere. The mall, the alleys, maybe even the park. Are you sure you don't know anything?" the man asked, his green eyes boring into Yugi's. "Haven't you ever experienced anything strange in this town? Haven't you ever witnessed something so strange and exciting, that you just wanted to tell the whole world?"

"Nope! Absolutely nothing," Yugi replied, trying to act as normally as possible. What the hell was this? It was as if fate WANTED him to spill about the Shadow race. But he swore to Yami he would never tell anyone, and he would carry the secret to his grave. Hopefully it wasn't an early grave caused by stress. "Lived here all my life and the most exciting thing that has ever happened was when a car ran into a flower shop and lit the pesticides on fire."

"Well, maybe I'll find something exciting in this town," the man replied. "A flower shop, huh?" he added with a chuckle. "I bet that was the gossip of all the old ladies in the city."

"People kept going back to the site for weeks after just to see it. That's how boring this place is. Well, this is where we have to part," Yugi said, partially thankful that they would be splitting up. The man was nice and all, but Yugi was about to go crazy with all his talk about 'interesting things'. It made him even more worried about Yami, and Yugi couldn't take much more. He gave directions to the man quickly, hoping that he could finally get home and relax. It seemed as if someone wanted to give him a hard time. "Hope you find it quickly," Yugi said, turning to walk in the opposite direction.

"Thanks again, and sorry for bothering you," the man called out.

"No problem. See you around sometime," Yugi replied with a wave before turning a corner and disappearing, leaving the man alone on the sidewalk.

The man smirked, and turned in the other direction. 'So that's the kid, huh? He's cute. No wonder the King fell for him.' Pulling out a cell phone from his jean pocket, he dialed a number and waited for the line to pick up. "Hey, Leader. It's Tsuno. I met the kid," he spoke into the phone. "Yea, he's exactly like I thought. Kind, helpful, and completely innocent." A pause. "Yea, don't worry, Leader. You'll get your info soon. And I've decided to lower my rates. This has just become an interesting job for me." Another pause and Tsuno pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his back pocket and put them on. "Don't worry. He doesn't suspect a thing. Ok, I'll contact you soon. Later."

Tsuno closed the lid of the phone, and began to walk back towards the park. No way was he going to stay in this human city any longer. But suffering the stench of humans for a while was worth it, since he finally met his target. 'That kid has no idea what's coming. I almost feel sorry for him. But then again, it's not my problem if his life becomes a living hell. As long as I'm being paid, I don't care. So you better watch out, Yugi Mouto, because you haven't seen the last of me.'

----------tbc----------

Star: Ha! Who expected that one? Bet you all thought it was Otogi, huh? I haven't put in any bad guys for quite a few chapters, so I knew they had to show up in this one. ;huggles Tsuno; I absolutely adore my villain!

Ok anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that one. Once again, I was not really pleased with the way it came out. In my opinion it was lacking something, especially in the first scene, but try as I might I couldn't figure out what it was. But as long as you guys liked it. ;shrugs; Anyway, hope to see you at the next update! Bye!

But wait! There's more!

I finally found the picture that gave me the idea for this story. I had to look all through my album for that little bugger. So now I shall post it for everyone to keep.

http/ img.photobucket. com/albums/ v76/kuramasgrl /Yami20and20Yugi20yaoi /yami-yugi5.jpg

Just remove all the spaces, and put percent signs before the 20s. If that link doesn't work, pm or email me and I'll send it to you.

**EDIT! (9/13/06) If the link doesn't work, send me a pm. Don't ask for it in the reviews. It's harder to keep track of ;sweatdrop; Just go to my profile and pm me.**


	12. A Million Problems

Star: Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I'm dealing with a lot of major problems in my life right now, and I just haven't had the urge to write. But I promise I'm going to try and update A Mask Over My Heart a lot faster than this. Just bear with me for a while.

disclaimer: don't own, don't sue

"Speech"

'thoughts'

**"Shadow Language"**

-----------A Million Problems----------

A lone figure stood in a run down room, which was empty save for a chair and a table. On the table was a candle stick with three burnt out candles. A stream of light from the rising sun tried to break through the dirt caking the window, sending slivers of light across the floor. The figure walked back and forth past the window in silence, deep in thought. The man, known only as Leader, stopped in front of the window and looked up at the sky, his hair shining brightly in the light. 'So this is what it's come to,' he thought, adjusting the hood that covered his head. 'I never thought that good for nothing King would be so obsessed over a human. He even went so far as to fall in love with him! I can't believe how easy everything is going for me!' The man snickered as he pictured in his mind the fall of the current King and his own rise to power.

Never in a million years did he think that this could happen. He actually thought the King was a lot more sensible than that. After all, it was a human. A human! Had it been anyone else, even the lowliest of Shadows, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But it was something much worse! Not even Leader had thought that the King could be so pathetic. Not only did he have to be rescued by a human, Yami had gone and fallen in love with the kid. The first part was bad, but the second! That was disgraceful to his ancestors. After everything they had done to keep the races separate, this stupid King goes and ruins everything in just two weeks.

A noise to his left alerted him that more people were entering the room. A small group entered, all wearing hoods that matched Leader's. They bowed to him and stood silently, waiting for their orders. "Do you know why I've called you today?" the man asked. The others shook their heads. "Because I finally have a plan on how to bring down Yami once and for all," he said triumphantly. At those words the group began to whisper amongst themselves in surprise.

"Leader, what did you come up with?" one of them asked, excitement shining clearly in his eyes.

"That human kid, the one that Yami had met while he was absent, has become a big part of Yami's life. Bigger than even I could have imagined."

"Exactly how big?" another asked.

"Earlier this week Yami revealed a huge secret that he had been keeping since he came back," Leader explained as he walked over to the chair. Sitting down, he said, "Apparently, during a fight with Seto, he admitted that he was in love with the human."

Yells of disgust and horror rang through the room. Leader listened to the cries with a smirk on his face. Yes, things were going well. Raising a hand, he silenced the group. "Ever since he was rescued, he's done nothing but slack off and talk about the kid. According to one of our spies who is posing as a servant, Yami sometimes spends hours deep in thought about him. He even went so far as to threaten Seto's life in defense of the kid."

"So how does this help us, Leader?" the first man asked.

"Yami is so obsessed over that boy that he'll even turn on his friends and advisors. If anything happened to the kid, he'd go crazy. He'd probably destroy his own kingdom just to see that boy safe. Which means if we have him, we control Yami. And if we control Yami, we control the whole world. Both Shadows and humans. We will create a new world of darkness. And I will be the ruler of this new world."

"But how do we get the human? We don't know what he looks like or where he is."

"I have already sent out a spy to watch him. Once we know the kid's weaknesses, we'll strike. Until then, my spies in the palace are keeping an eye on Yami's activities. And also the activities of his council members. Both low council, and high council. I can't afford to have his friends ruin our plan. Currently Seto is in England after the last fight with Yami. The others have no idea what is going on, so they are not a threat. Yet."

"Leader, what if our plans are discovered?" a female called out. "They still have our people from the last attack in their prisons. If any one of them talks, everything will be ruined."

"They won't talk," Leader replied. "They won't be killed because the guards want to get information out of them. But they know that if they speak a word and I get my hands on them, they'll suffer a fate worse than death."

"But I still can't believe that he could be in love with a filthy human," one member said in disgust.

"Believe it," Leader said, chuckling darkly. "As disgusting as it may be, be glad. For that idiot has given us a perfect opportunity to take over. And I'll personally make him regret ever setting eyes on that boy."

------

Ryou lay on his bed listening to his mp3 player, as he thought about the man that he had run into multiple times on Thursday. He had tried all he could to ignore the thoughts that kept creeping up on him, but nothing worked. Not even Dir en grey could take Ryou's mind off him. It was strange and annoying. Why did that guy occupy his every waking moment? Why did just thinking his name set off a million other thoughts? Why did just thinking of his smile, his deep voice, his strong body send shivers down Ryou's spine? Why was he suddenly blushing?!

With a groan, Ryou sat up and turned off his mp3 player. Why waste the battery when he wasn't even paying attention? Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at the clock and groaned again. 'Great,' he thought. 'I just wasted half an hour thinking about Bakura. What the hell is wrong with me? It isn't like me to spend so much time thinking about something like this. It was just a one time thing. It's not like I'm ever going to see him again.' But just thinking that thought made the teen depressed. But it wasn't as if he _wanted_ to see him again. 'Fuck it, I can't even fool myself with that one. I do want to see him again, but I just don't know why. It can't be because I like him. No way!'

The ringing of his cell phone dragged him out of his depressing thoughts long enough to focus on picking up said phone and answering. "Hello?"

"_What's got you so depressed?"_ came Yugi's voice.

"I'm not depressed." Ryou replied. "I'm just really bored."

"_Sure you are," _came the sarcastic remark. "_But can you stop being depressed long enough to hang out with me? Or would you rather I leave you to your own devices."_

"I'm telling you, I'm not depressed!" Ryou argued.

"_And neither am I."_

Ryou sighed, unable to argue that topic anymore. "So are you still coming over?"

"_I'm currently standing outside your door," _Yugi replied innocently.

"You're what!" Ryou yelled, jumping off his bed and rushing down the stairs. Upon opening the door he was met with a smiling Yugi. "I absolutely hate when you do that!" the British teen yelled.

"Love you too," Yugi said, walking past him into the house. "Nice boxers, by the way."

Muttering a string of curses, Ryou stormed upstairs to put on a pair of shorts. That little brat always pulled stunts like that. And even though he knew about it, Ryou always failed to prepare for them in advance. And Yugi always took great pleasure in getting him annoyed. Heading back downstairs, he followed a bunch of noises into the kitchen where he found Yugi digging through his fridge. "I haven't gone shopping yet, so try not to finish all my food," he said as he sat down at the table.

"This coming from the guy who always eats all of our bananas," Yugi replied with a roll of his eyes. Pulling out the milk jug, he headed to the counter where a bowl of cereal was waiting for him. "Besides, Grandpa always buys the gross cereal."

"Yea, yea. So what are we going to do today?"

"Wasn't it your idea for me to come over and be bored with you?"

"Yea, but then I decided I didn't like that idea anymore. So now I want to do something."

"As opposed to all the times we just sit around and do nothing," Yugi said, taking a bite of cereal.

"Well, you can't save the world by sitting on your ass," Ryou replied as he placed his head down on the table.

"I don't care about the world," Yugi said. "The world can save itself for one day. I want to eat my cereal!"

"That's so not a nice thing to say."

"Yea, well, what has the world done for me? It is not my friend. But, seriously, what's got you so down?" Yugi asked, resting his arm on top of Ryou's head.

"Well, besides the arm on my head, nothing," the British teen said, hoping that answer would end the conversation. But sadly, due to the world's evil intentions, Yugi didn't drop the conversation. He was right, the world was not their friend.

"If you are allowed to bother me forever about something, then I am allowed to do the same."

"But that was only because I know something is bothering you. Jeez, I'm all mopey for once-"

"And suddenly everyone thinks something is wrong," Yugi finished seriously. "I know _exactly_ how that feels. And since you know more than I'd like about my 'issue', I deserve to know more about yours. So what's with the sudden change of attitude?"

Ryou sighed and stood up, heading into the living room where he lay down on the couch. Yugi sat on the floor beside the other's head. "Has it really been this annoying for you when people ask you what's wrong?"

"Every time someone asks me that, I feel like screaming," Yugi said. "So now that you know my pain, maybe you'll stop asking me all the time."

"Well, blah to you and your pain. And if you must know, for some reason I just can't stop thinking about that guy that I ran into on Thursday."

"Really?" Yugi asked, a sly smirk creeping on his face.

"Not like that!" Ryou yelled, a blush forming on his face. "Pervert."

"Blame Malik. So exactly what is it about this guy that you can't stop thinking about?"

"Well…he's good looking…handsome…gorgeous…absolutely perfect," Ryou finished with a groan, covering his face with an arm. "He is completely perfect in everyway, and that is why I can't stop thinking of him!"

Yugi laughed at Ryou's reaction, knowing exactly how the other boy felt. Who would know better than him anyway? But, hopefully, things would work out well for Ryou and his crush. Yugi was still working on his own love life. "So, why is he so perfect?" Yugi asked with a big smile.

"I don't know. There is just something about him that screams perfection, and it's not letting me forget about him. He's tall, strong, nice, has a great smile, a deep voice, and the most amazing brown eyes I've ever seen," Ryou finished dreamily. "Absolutely perfect."

"So you really do have a crush on him," Yugi giggled.

"Do not! I just admire him…a lot."

"You like him, just admit it! Maybe you even love him?" teased Yugi. A pillow was suddenly thrown on his face, knocking him to the ground.

"Don't say that word!" Ryou yelled, completely embarrassed. "I do NOT love him, got that! Just because I said those things, it doesn't mean that I love him! I just…like him as much as you can like a random stranger."

"You are such a bad liar," Yugi said, sitting up. "Your blush is giving you away. It's ok if you like him. It's not like he's going to find out."

"You are just as bad when it comes to lying. You can't even look someone in the eye when you lie to them."

"Just admit you like him a lot, and I'll stop teasing you," the shorter teen said as he played with the pillow. "Is it that hard to admit it?"

"I just don't know if I like him like that," Ryou replied, stealing the pillow and placing it over his head. "And even if I did, it wouldn't matter. He's way out of my league."

'I know how you feel. It doesn't really matter how much I love Yami. I'll never be good enough for him,' Yugi thought with a sad smile. "You can't be so down about something like that. Maybe, by some miracle, you'll end up with him. You just can't give up." 'You can't be a quitter like me.'

"Your encouragement does nothing to cheer me up," Ryou said from under the pillow. "It's never going to happen, and we both know that. So I'm just going to be depressed for today, then tomorrow I'm going to be over it."

"Save your depression for tomorrow. I'm not in the mood to deal with your mopey-ness. So let's go catch a movie, and get your mind off it," said Yugi as he poked Ryou in the side. Ryou didn't move, so Yugi poked him harder. With a grunt, Ryou threw the pillow back in Yugi's face and rolled over, now facing the back of the couch. "So you still haven't told me the name of this 'absolutely perfect' guy," continued Yugi as he returned to playing with the pillow.

"His name is Bakura."

------

It was quiet in the King's bedroom save for video game noises coming from the TV. Occasionally the silence would be broken by a shout or a cry at the screen when something went wrong. Sheets rustled softly as the player changed positions, muttering curses under his breath at the game. The two other occupants of the room looked up at the screen where 'game over' flashed in big red letters. "Wouldn't it be easier to play if you weren't lying upside down?" Otogi asked from the couch.

"Shut up!" replied Bakura as he scrolled through the menu. "This game is rigged!"

"I have no problem beating it," Yami said as he turned a page in his book, shifting his position on the bed.

"You beat everything!" Bakura yelled as he started the game over. "Now I have to start all over from the mines! And get your legs off my stomach!"

"It's my bed," Yami replied, turning another page. "Where is Marik?"

"He's in a meeting, standing in for Seto," Otogi answered, pausing his own game on his PSP. "It's something to do with those prisoners we captured that night they attacked."

"I don't see why we don't just execute one, to get the others afraid," Bakura said absently, concentrating more on making it out of the mines in his game.

"Because it won't work with this group," said Yami with a sigh. "Apparently, they are more afraid of what will happen if they do talk. This 'Leader' has threatened them with far worse forms of torture than we can come up with."

"He's one fucked up bastard," Otogi added.

"He's a fucked up bastard with a lot of power," Yami stated. "Even I would have to be careful if we ever meet."

"But you'd still be able to take him down," affirmed Bakura. "No matter how strong he is, you still have all the power of your ancestors behind you. There is no way you would lose."

"At the moment, I'm not so sure," the King said with a sigh, closing his book. "With all the shit I've been dealing with, I don't think I'd be able to beat him. Mostly because I probably wouldn't care about beating him."

Otogi got up and stood by the bed. "You can't say things like that! Of course you would beat him! You've dealt with tons of shit before, and that's never stopped you from defeating your enemies."

"Otogi is right," Bakura said, pausing his game as he sat up. "Thinking like that won't solve anything. You are still the most powerful Shadow in this world. No matter what you have to deal with, it won't change that fact."

"I just don't care about anything at the moment. Nothing matters to me."

"You know," Otogi started, sitting down next to Yami. "This Leader guy probably isn't going to stop at just taking over our race. He might decide he wants to take over the human race too. And if he does, then everyone, including Yugi, will be in danger."

"I won't let anyone lay a hand on him," Yami said, deathly serious. "I will destroy anyone who hurts him."

The door opened suddenly and Marik walked in, looking completely exhausted. Climbing on the bed, he stole a pillow and buried his face in it. "I absolutely do not envy Seto at all. That was the most boring meeting I've ever been to. What's with the bad mood in here?" he asked, sensing the depression and gloom in the air, radiating from Yami. It felt like it was about to engulf him completely.

"It's nothing," Yami answered. "What did the council say about the prisoners?"

"They realize that torture isn't going to get anything out of them. But they don't want to head to execution, since it would create a big stir in the media."

"Do they think that something might happen if they were executed?" Bakura asked.

"The rest of the rebels may attack on the execution day. Or they might attack after, as revenge for us killing their comrades," Marik answered.

"We should be the ones getting revenge!" Bakura spat. "They attacked us with no provocation! We didn't even know they existed before then."

"Which just proves how lax our security is," Otogi added with a sigh. "If we didn't know of this one group, imagine what else we don't know."

"All we know is that they want to take over my kingdom, and I won't allow that," said Yami. "I'm not going to let them ruin everything my ancestors have struggled to build. And I definitely will not allow them to hurt Yugi in any way."

Bakura lay back down and sighed. 'If only he knew. How long can I keep this a secret from him?' he thought. 'I don't want to worry him, but if I don't tell him and something happens to either him or the kid…damnit. Damnit all! I wish I didn't know any of this. What can I do to keep them both safe?' He glanced over towards the King, then quickly looked away. There was no way he could keep this a secret for too long. Even if he didn't come out and say it himself, Yami would probably figure out that he was keeping something secret. 'I can't tell him, till I know for sure that the kid in Reika's visions is Yugi. No reason to get Yami all worried if it's not the right kid.' But Bakura already knew who it was. It was obvious, from the minute Reika started to speak.

What was worse was that it was obvious that the two were meant to meet to set off a chain of events. They were no more than pawns in fate's twisted games. There would be no happily ever after for the two. No fairy tale love. That was not the reason they met each other, and any feelings that either one had meant nothing. It would not change their destinies, no matter how much they cared for each other. It would be a harsh slap in the face from reality when they realize the truth. Be it a long time away, or right now. Be it from Bakura's mouth or events yet to take place. Either way, their future together was over before it started. And the only one who knew was Bakura. 'What the hell am I supposed to do?'

------

Miles away, at the temple, Reika was wondering the same thing. What was she supposed to do? She had not been able to figure out the rest of the vision yet, and it was worrying her. As she knelt in front of Aine's tomb, eyes closed and hands clasped together, she could not stop thinking about Lord Bakura's reaction. He had seemed far too worried about it. More worried than she was. She believed it had something to do with the boy in her visions. And if Lord Bakura was that worried, she could only imagine how the Master would take it.

"Please, my lady," she whispered. "Please aid me in uncovering these images. I must do it for His Majesty's sake. And for that poor boy. Please help me." But no matter how much she pleaded, the visions did not become clearer. Reika sighed in disappointment, and stood up. Bowing before the tomb, she turned and walked out of the room into the courtyard. 'Why won't Lady Aine answer me? She hasn't spoken to me in more than a month. What could be keeping her voice from reaching me?'

Heading towards a bench in front of a small fountain, Reika sat down and stared up at the bright, blue sky. She yawned and felt her eyes droop, the result of lack of sleep. But who could possibly expect her to get any sleep with these broken images floating around her head? The only thing she had been able to see was the field of flowers and the boy in the distance. But that didn't help at all. It could mean anything and nothing. But what she was certain of was the danger that was drawn to the boy. Oh, if only she knew his face! She could warn him, protect him from the evil that wanted to consume him. If not her then one of the Lords, or even the Master. Surely they would protect the boy. Lord Bakura seemed worried for his safety the other day.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the visions. There was the field of flowers, as far as the eye could see. Yellow dominated the colors, with a few pinks and whites here and there. It truly was a happy place, with soft, rolling hills, and an open sky. Suddenly a figure appeared in the distance, and Reika felt a calm wash over her. It always happened when she laid eyes on the boy. But it was horrible that such a kind person could have such a tragic fate. If only the whole vision was as peaceful as this. But the calm was suddenly stripped away as black clouds began to form in the sky above them. She was left feeling cold and vulnerable as she watched black tendrils snake through the flowers towards the boy.

Reika wanted to run to the boy, to protect him from whatever was coming towards him. But she couldn't move. She couldn't even speak to warn him of what was coming. Reika just had to stand by and watch, and she hated it. She blinked and suddenly everything became a blur, as usual. As if an artist had thrown paint all over then smeared it with his hands. The only thing she could make out was the boy's outline in the distance. Reika wanted to cry out, but she was still silent. She tried so hard to struggle as always, but it never did any good. She never moved an inch. She never uttered a single noise.

The boy turned and looked at her, which caught her off guard. He had never turned to face her before. She could not make out details of his face, but he looked young. Maybe a year or two younger than the Master. He smiled softly at her, and she felt the calm wash over her again, but she didn't like it. It wasn't comforting like before. It felt more like she was falling into a drugged state, sickly sweet and sticking to her being. Before she could even blink, another figure appeared behind the boy. A large, dominating man in a black cloak. But it wasn't the man that sent her adrenaline rushing. It was the razor sharp dagger he held to the boy's throat. Could this be the evil that she had sensed? Was it too late to save the young boy? Did the evil already have him?

As she pondered those questions, she watched the boy collapse into the man's arms. Reika opened her mouth and screamed as the colors started to blur even more. Blacks, reds, purples, silvers, golds, and whites all melded together, occasionally taking the outline of something or someone before shifting again. It was like trying to see a drop of water in a rushing stream. Things came and went before she could focus properly. All of a sudden all she saw was a dark, blood red. Everywhere she looked was blood red. Reika's heart picked up speed as she awaited the terrifying screams that were sure to come. And, just as she predicted, a shriek echoed all around her. She covered her ears, but it didn't help. The scream penetrated her very soul, completely engulfing her.

"Who are you?" she called out, as she had done many times before. "Where are you? What's happening? Please, answer me!" But all she heard were screams and sobs of the poor soul who was being tormented. Tears ran down her own cheeks as she looked everywhere for someone, anyone, who she could help. It didn't matter to her that it was only a vision, she just had to help that boy. "What is your name? Please, tell me your name! I want to help you! Please, tell me who you are!" Once again, she was met with a scream, and she could swear she heard a malevolent laughter in the background. Reika fell to her knees in despair, ignoring the red, sticky liquid that covered the ground. She covered her ears in another futile attempt to ignore the screams, but nothing worked.

She broke down into sobs as the screams continued all around her. She had never felt so powerless. It was a horrible feeling, not being able to help that poor boy. Something white abruptly caught her eye, and she slowly lowered her hands. She watched it float gently towards her, and her eyes widened as the white dot became clearer. 'A rose petal?' As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the petal burst into flames. Reika screamed as the flames spread rapidly all around her, and she curled into a ball to avoid them. That had never happened before! But as quickly as they came, they vanished, leaving her surrounded by darkness.

Looking up, Reika was met with a grey object in the distance. She stood up and ran towards the grey blob, recognizing the final vision. What seemed like snow began to fall from the sky, as she ran through dead flower stems. The closer she got to the object, the harder it became to run, the solid ground beneath her turning into a sticky, warm liquid. She didn't dare to look down, incase the object vanished before she could reach it. She already knew what the liquid was, and who it belonged to. The snow began to fall harder, and she suddenly tripped. The second she hit the ground she was thrown back into reality.

Opening her eyes, she gasped heavily and her body began to shake. Her skin felt cold and clammy, and she could still feel the tears falling down her cheeks. Gripping the armrest of the bench tightly, she tried her hardest to get her thoughts together. So many new things appeared in this vision. So many things that confirmed her suspicion that the young boy would suffer terribly before dying. Pushing herself from the bench, she ran back into the tomb room and collapsed in front of the marble casket. "Please, Lady Aine!" Reika begged, "Please tell me what to do! I must save that boy! Please, my Lady, give me a sign! Anything! I just can't let that boy die! Please, my Lady, help me!" But all she was met with was the sound of the wind rustling through the room.

------

The pillow lay forgotten on the floor, as Yugi stared at Ryou in shock. His heart started beating quickly as he repeated the name in his mind. But he just couldn't believe that he had heard correctly. "W-what was his name again?" Yugi asked softly.

"Bakura," Ryou repeated, still facing the back of the couch.

Yugi began to tremble. "Are…are you sure? Are you absolutely positive that's his name?" Yugi asked, hoping that Ryou was wrong.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember his name correctly," Ryou said.

"I see," said Yugi as he stood up in a dazed state. "I'm going to the bathroom." He walked slowly out of the room, willing his legs not to collapse. Once he closed the bathroom door, he fell to the floor, curling up into a ball. 'It's impossible! There is no way that it could be the same guy! There is no reason for him to be in this human city! Yami was already taken back!' But then again, how common was the name 'Bakura'? But there was no way it could be the same Bakura who held the dagger to his throat that night in his room. Right?

'But what if it was him? What does he want with Ryou? Oh man! What if my friends are in danger now? I can't believe I never thought they'd be in danger! What am I going to do? I can't tell anyone, especially not Ryou. But why was Bakura here in the first place? Maybe he was just looking for Yami. That's probably all, right? It was Thursday, the day after I saw Yami in the park. Maybe Bakura was just looking for him.'

Yugi tried to convince himself that everything was ok, and that his friends were not in danger. 'Bakura was just looking for Yami, and Ryou just happened to be in the same place. That's all.' But it still didn't make sense. Bakura wouldn't let himself be seen by humans, let alone talk to one. And yet Ryou said that the guy he met was nice to him. Bakura wouldn't be nice to any human, that was for sure. And the fact that he was inside the library was another mystery. The only reason Bakura would be inside a library full of humans would be because he was looking for someone. Or following someone. And that someone happened to be Ryou. Which brought Yugi back to the whole 'my friends are in danger' train of thought. Which freaked him out to no end. If only he could see Yami again! The Shadow was hiding way too much from him, and he wanted answers! Just what was going on with him and his friends? Why did they keep coming back to the human city? Yugi didn't mind that Yami came back often, but there was always a hidden reason for him coming back. And now Bakura shows up and basically stalks Ryou all around town. Something was going on, and it wasn't a good thing.

A nock sounded on the door. "Yugi, are you ok?" came Ryou's concerned voice.

"I'm fine," Yugi responded quickly, getting up off the floor. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself, then checked himself in the mirror. He didn't want to look like a wreck in front of Ryou. Taking another breath, he opened the door and pasted a smile on his face. "What is it?"

"Well, you've been in there for a while," the British teen responded, looking over Yugi, as if searching for something. "I've decided I want to see a movie."

"Which movie?" Yugi asked, heading back to the living room, hoping his voice wouldn't waver. He just had to act normal, and hope he could go through the day without spilling everything to Ryou.

"What's playing?" Ryou asked, still looking at Yugi.

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. A lot of horror movies, but you know I don't like those. Let's see a comedy." Why wouldn't Ryou look away? If he kept staring, he'd surely crack!

"Let's just go to the movie theatre and see what's playing," Ryou suggested.

"Sounds fine," Yugi said, quickly heading out the door. As long as he avoided eye contact with the other teen, things would be fine…hopefully. And maybe he wouldn't notice anything was wrong.

But Ryou had noticed something was wrong. He had noticed the second Yugi had come out of the bathroom. The fake smile, the cheery tone, the way he refused to make eye contact. Everything pointed to the fact that something was wrong. 'Strange,' he thought as he and Yugi walked down the street. 'I mention Bakura's name and suddenly Yugi gets all jittery. Does he know Bakura somehow?' He watched Yugi reach down and start playing with the bracelet on his left wrist, and his eyes widened. 'Could it be that's where he got the bracelet? Was it Bakura who gave it to him? Or someone associated with Bakura? Is that why he's acting so strangely?'

"If the movies don't work, you want to head over to Honda's house and hang out there?" Yugi asked, the fake smile still plastered on his face.

"Sure," Ryou replied, faking a smile of his own. "But, please don't mention what I told you to anyone. You know, about Bakura," he said quietly.

Yugi tensed. "Sure, I won't tell anyone," he said calmly, but in his head he was screaming.

Ryou saw Yugi get tense when he said Bakura's name, and his suspicions were confirmed. Yugi knew Bakura somehow, and it definitely had to do with the bracelet. So Ryou would just have to find a way to get Yugi to reveal his secret. "I just don't know what I'm going to do about it. There's a part of me that wants to see him again, but the rest of me thinks that I've gone insane."

"I don't think you should see him again," Yugi replied quickly.

"But you said earlier that we may end up together by some miracle, and that I shouldn't give up," Ryou replied with a pout.

Yugi quickly glanced at him before walking faster, hoping the movie theatre would appear soon. "I don't think you should be so infatuated over a stranger. Who knows what kind of person he is. Just because he seemed nice doesn't mean he really is."

"But he doesn't strike me as the evil type," Ryou said in reply. "He seems like the kind of person who would be a good friend."

"He's much more than that," Yugi mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" the shorter teen said rapidly. "There's the theatre," he said, pointing to a building in front of them. Stopping in front of the movie posters, he turned to Ryou and said, "Pick the movie you want to see."

Ryou pretended to go over the posters, when in fact he was going over what Yugi had muttered. 'He's much more than that.' The only way Yugi could know that was if he knew who Bakura was. If he knew Bakura personally. So mystery one solved. Mystery two was _how_ he knew Bakura. And Ryou suspected that once he figured that one out, he'd be able to find out more about how that bracelet tied in with everything. Then he'd finally figure out what exactly caused Yugi's sudden change in personality.

In a way Ryou felt bad for trying to trick Yugi. He had said he wasn't going to ask about the bracelet or anything connected to it again. But he just couldn't help it! Something was going on with his friend, and he had to find out what it was. He was doing this for Yugi's sake. Something was wrong, and Ryou had to help him. It was obvious to anyone who looked at him that Yugi was stressed. If he found out what was causing that stress, maybe he could help Yugi. "Nothing really looks good," Ryou said after a few minutes.

"The only thing I want to see is 'Epic Movie'. But that doesn't come out till next week," Yugi replied with a sigh. "So do you want to watch something, or go to Honda's?"

"Well, I'd rather not waste money for no reason," Ryou answered, starting to walk away from the theatre. "So let's think of something to do. If that fails, we'll go to Honda's." Yugi nodded and followed him, walking a bit behind him. Suddenly, Ryou's stomach growled loudly as they passed a diner.

"Hungry, are we?" Yugi teased.

"Shut up. I didn't get to eat breakfast, since someone beat me to the cereal," the silver haired boy said with a glare.

Yugi just laughed and grabbed Ryou's arm, dragging him into the diner. "Don't give me that look. Pick something out, my treat."

"Well, as long as you're paying, I want cake."

Yugi looked at his friend as if he had grown another head. "It's barely after eleven, and you want cake?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Ryou asked, sending another glare to the other teen. "Because you don't have a problem finishing all my food."

"Fine, but when you get a stomach ache don't blame me," replied Yugi as he ordered a piece of cake for Ryou and a cup of coffee for himself. God knows he needed it.

"You aren't putting anything in the coffee?" Ryou asked in surprise as they sat down at a table. Usually Yugi put so much creamer and sugar in his coffee it ended up overflowing the cup.

Yugi shook his head. "Not today. I need strong coffee to keep me awake."

"Have you been sleeping well?"

"For the most part," Yugi answered, taking a sip of the coffee and cringing in disgust. "I absolutely hate plain coffee." Ryou reached across the table and placed his hand on Yugi's forehead, and Yugi sighed. "I'm not sick, you know."

"Just making sure. But you do look pretty stressed out," Ryou said, leaning back in his chair. "So what's with the lack of sleep?"

Yugi sighed again and looked out the window at the passing traffic. What he wouldn't give to be as carefree as those people out there. "Just things I can't stop thinking about."

"And let me guess," Ryou said cynically, "you can't tell anyone."

Yugi shook his head again. "If I could tell you, I would. But I just can't. You're not even supposed to _know_ I have a secret."

"Is it that bad that you can't tell anyone?"

"Well, if someone asked you to keep a secret, would you go out and tell everyone?" Yugi asked, taking another sip of his drink. "I don't mind keeping the secret."

Ryou poked at his cake with his fork, glancing up at Yugi. "But if it's causing you so much stress, then it can't be good for you to keep it to yourself."

"I'm not keeping this secret for my sake," Yugi answered.

"Then for whose?" Yugi looked away and didn't answer. Ryou sighed and went back to poking his cake. "Who else knows?"

"Isis is the only person who knows as much as you. Well…she knows a little more. But it's still not good that she knows at all."

"You know we keep bugging you about this because we care," Ryou replied.

"I know, but every time you ask me things like this, it just adds to my stress. I don't know how much longer I can last before I just break down and scream." Yugi placed his head down on the table, and looked up at the sky. "You don't know how hard it is to keep this secret. If I told anyone, even you, then we'll all be in trouble."

"Is someone forcing you to keep this secret?" Ryou asked worriedly. Could that be the reason he wouldn't tell anyone? Did someone threaten him or his friends?

"No!" Yugi replied immediately, seeing the alarm in his friends eyes. "No one is forcing me to keep the secret. I'm doing it because I want to protect someone. But please don't ask me who or why I have to protect them."

Ryou slammed his fork down angrily. "Yugi, you can't take on a burden like this by yourself! You're practically killing yourself because of this stupid secret, and all because you want to protect someone."

"But you don't understand, Ryou. I have to do this! I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone. I swore that I would take this secret to my grave. And I'm not going to let that person down. I'm not going to put him, or anyone else, in danger."

"If he was your friend, don't you think he wouldn't want to put you in danger?"

Yugi closed his eyes and sighed dejectedly. "He wants me to forget all about him, and not bother anymore. But I can't do that. I just can't abandon him."

"So you really care about him, huh?"

Yugi smiled softly and reached under the table to play with the bracelet on his left wrist. "I do care about him. Enough that I would put myself through this to keep him safe. And I'd do it a million times over."

There was silence at the table for a few minutes as the two finished their food. In the end, Yugi decided to add cream to his coffee to make it a bit sweeter. Once they were finished, they got up and walked out of the diner, heading towards Honda's house. They were still silent as they walked, each lost in their own thoughts. What was going to happen now? Ryou knew more than he should about the secret. How would that affect things? What were the consequences?

-----

The dungeons of the palace in Kyall Arie were cold, dark, and damp. The maze like structure ran below ground behind the palace, and the only entrance was a small, metal door inside a one room hut. Numerous guards stood both inside and outside of the dungeons, constantly searching for escapees or anyone who was planning to liberate the prisoners. But there had to be many guards, for only the most dangerous criminals in the world were held in the palace dungeons. It was a dirty, dangerous job, but someone had to protect the King and Lords.

Upon entering the door, a brick stairway led to another small room where the head guards were stationed. Inside their office were multiple cameras, all watching a different cell. It was the only room in the whole dungeon system that had electricity and allowed magic. Glowing orange talismans were all over the dungeons, their spells draining all the magic of the prisoners to prevent riots. Walking past the office, a hallway lit only by a few torches led to the jail cells. The wailing and cries of the prisoners grew louder as one went deeper into the prisons. The sounds of rattling chains and the banging of fists against walls accompanied the prisoners screams as they desperately searched for a way to escape their inevitable torture. Those that had already suffered their daily torture lay on the ground whimpering quietly, or shrieking in horrible pain.

A few floors down, behind a large, metal door, in the darkest part of the dungeon, were the criminals who had committed crimes so heinous, they had to be kept as far away from society as possible. These prisoners were either tortured an inch from death, or executed in the most painful way possible. There was no escape from this end of the dungeon, as cameras were placed on every corner. These prisoners were chained to the walls, their feet tied to posts on the ground. Any act of escape would send electricity through their body, shocking them into submission. Special talismans were placed on the walls that sent the prisoners into a dream like state most of the time, causing them to babble like maniacs whenever the talismans became active.

Here was where the prisoners who had attacked the King were kept. The six who had been captured were tied up to the walls and sedated completely. As extra precaution, special golden bands were placed around their necks, which reduced their strength and speed to that of an average human. No one was allowed in except the four guards who brought them their food. But the four men and two women refused to eat, saying they would rather starve than eat anything prepared by the King's slaves. In their normal states they remained absolutely silent, but when the talismans became active, they began screaming things such as 'death to the King!', and 'long live Leader!'. They refused to reveal information, even when they were being tortured. They simply continued to scream obscenities towards the king, and praise towards their Leader.

But it wasn't just loyalty that kept them silent. It was fear. Absolute, unbridled terror of what would happen should they talk about Leader and his plans. They knew Leader had spies everywhere. He even had spies in the palace guards and servants. If Leader ever found out that his plans were ruined, he would go after them and submit them to forms of torture much worse than what they were already receiving. He would cut them open, shred their organs to pieces, hang them from their intestines, stab their eyes out, break their bones, cut their tongues in half, then light their hearts on fire. But that was only if he was feeling merciful. And he would keep them alive through it all. There was no quick death waiting for them in either scenario.

The sound of the metal door opening broke the silence in the room, but the prisoners didn't even look up. It was probably meal time, but they wouldn't eat anything again. Two guards walked in carrying plastic bowls full of something that resembled soup. Placing a bowl in front of the prisoners, the guards locked the cells then released the chains around the prisoner's hands. The prisoners fell to the grounds and crouched in the corners of their cells, as far away from the food as possible. The only glared at the guards in silence, once again refusing to eat anything. The guards just rolled their eyes and left, all but one who was to watch them while they ate. Though it was completely pointless, since they wouldn't even look at the bowls.

"You guys are completely stupid," the guard said. "What do you think this will accomplish?"

"We won't eat just because the King says we should," a female spat, curling up into a ball, the chains rattling against her bruised skin.

"You should be happy he hasn't killed you yet," the guard replied.

"We would rather die than live under his rule," one of the older males said. "Anything is better than having to follow that incompetent bastard's orders."

"Watch your mouth, scum" the guard warned, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of his sword. The door then opened again, and another guard walked in. The two conversed quietly for a minute, before the first guard nodded his head and walked out. The second looked around at the prisoners who stared back with little interest.

"Still refusing to eat?" the guard said with a smirk.

"Those jackasses keep bringing us food even though they know we won't touch it," the second female replied.

"I wouldn't touch it either," the guard said, glancing with disgust at the thick liquid that was supposed to be soup. "But you won't be much use to anyone if you are weak from starvation."

"We'll stand behind Leader no matter what!" another male prisoner replied.

"You think Leader really gives a damn that you are stuck in here? He's busy making new plans and getting new people to help him," the guard said mockingly. "The only reason he even stops to think about you six is because he doesn't want you blowing his cover."

"You fucking liar!" the first female screeched. "Leader would never abandon us!"

"Then why hasn't he come to rescue you? If he cared so much, shouldn't you have been taken out of here a long time ago?" the guard asked as he sat down on the ground.

"Leader is busy, as you have said. He is busy trying to take his rightful place at the throne. We are doing out part in supporting him by not telling these sons of bitches anything," the eldest prisoner said.

"I see," the guard said, nodding his head. "Loyal till the end, am I right? I personally find it a waste of time. I couldn't stand being locked up in here like you. Your loyalty is fucking your whole life up, but you don't give a damn as long as Leader gets the crown."

"What do you know about loyalty?" another male argued. "You abandoned your loyalty to the King for money. We aren't abandoning ours even though we are being tortured daily. It's always dark here, always cold, and there is always a foul stench. We can always hear the screams of those who are being submitted to the sadistic pleasures of these guards. The mice, and roaches climb all over us, and the power of the talismans makes us feel as if we have gone completely insane. But we still keep our loyalty! We will never waver! And though we are locked away, we still have our pride! While you roam about freely with not even a shred of dignity!"

"But at least I have my freedom," the guard said as he stood up and collected their bowls.

"Damn you to hell, Keith," the second female said as she and the others were once again chained to the wall.

"At least we'll be reunited there," the guard answered, laughing as he closed the door behind him, throwing the prisoners back into darkness and silence.

------

Yami walked through the back gardens aimlessly, just turning random corners when he felt like it. 'The gardens are too big,' he thought as he walked by yet another row of marble statues. Looking over to the right, he gazed down on the two large fountains in the center of the gardens. Normally he would climb down the steps to go sit at the benches beside the fountains, but he didn't feel like getting sprayed. So he continued on the path with the marble statues, which was at a higher level than the fountains. But at least on this path there were many trees, albeit strangely trimmed. His grandmother had a weird liking for triangle shaped trees.

Good thing it was a nice day. Bright and sunny, with a few clouds floating by lazily in the sky. Birds were chirping happily, and the soft breeze drifted the sweet scent of flowers all around. Despite his complaint about it being too big, Yami loved being out in the gardens. It was always so peaceful out here. He could relax and forget all about his problems as he strolled down the paths.

A light gust of wind caressed his cheeks, and he smiled softly. 'Yugi would probably like it here,' he thought. 'I wish I could go see him.' But sadly, he had a meeting later in the afternoon, and he couldn't miss that. And he couldn't send a shadow clone, since he would probably focus more on what the clone was doing than what was being said in the meeting. So he couldn't see Yugi at all today. Life just sucked that way. Hearing voices below him, he looked down and saw two of his lower council members having a conversation. 'They seem to be enjoying themselves,' Yami thought grumpily.

The council members looked up at him, then bowed. "Good afternoon, your Highness," they said cheerily.

Yami fixed a smile on his face and nodded. "Good afternoon."

"Are you out here by yourself, my Lord?" one asked.

"Yes. I just came out to relax a little," Yami replied. "Don't want to be exhausted for the meeting later. I'm going to head off again."

"Then we shall see you later, my Lord," the other said as they waved goodbye to him.

Yami waved, then headed off towards a small maze on the far left side of the gardens. He would come here all the time when he was little. It was certainly a lot better than being inside the palace all day. Especially with his father expecting him to act proper all the time. At least here he and his friends could act like normal kids. Often, they would come back with dirty, ripped clothes and scraped knees, much to the annoyance of their parents. But it didn't matter to them, since they just wanted to have fun.

As he wandered through the familiar maze, he heard frantic chirping above him. Looking up, he saw his two messenger birds flying towards him rapidly. Once they reached him, they flew around him, still chirping loudly and anxiously. Yami just watched them in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. "Calm down!" he told them, holding out his arm for them to perch on. The birds sat on his arm, but kept twitching their wings and fidgeting, looking all around as if something were going to jump out at them. Yami began to gently stroke their chests, trying to get them to settle down so he could find out what was wrong.

After a few minutes the birds finally relaxed enough to stay still. But they still looked worried. Which got Yami worried. They were supposed to be watching Yugi to make sure nothing happened. Why were they both here, and what had happened to make them this way. "What's wrong? Did something happen to him?" he asked, feeling his heart pick up pace as he waited for the news. They began to tell him of how they felt the repeated presence of a Shadow around him. They said it was faint, but they could definitely sense someone watching him. It was an almost constant presence, and they didn't know who it was.

Yami listened to the news in shock. There was another Shadow watching Yugi? How did he miss that? He hadn't sensed anyone when he had gone to see Yugi. Could that other Shadow have been watching them the whole time? What if…what if that other Shadow heard him profess his love? Yami fell to the ground as he thought of what might happen if it got out to the public that he was in love with a human. His people would go after Yugi and kill him! They would riot and he'd lose the crown. The Shadows might even attack the humans!

Or maybe that other Shadow was part of the rebel group. What if it was that damn Leader who was following Yugi? Or one of his followers. Damnit, why didn't he think of that sooner? He should have realized that his enemies would go after Yugi. How could he have been so completely stupid as to let something like this go unnoticed? He should have been well aware of all the things that could go wrong. Of all the things that could put him and Yugi in danger. He should have been more careful, more aware of his surroundings. Maybe then he would have noticed this other Shadow.

What should he do now? He couldn't go back to see Yugi, incase that other Shadow followed. But he had to make sure the human was safe. But at the same time, he didn't want to scare the boy. So obviously telling him that he was possibly in danger was out of the question. Who could he tell? Seto was gone, and even if he asked Seto for advice, Yami doubted he would even spare him a second glance. He could ask Bakura, but if he got Bakura involved, Marik and Otogi would become involved as well. And then it would probably turn into one big mess. And all he wanted was a way to figure out if Yugi was safe or not. Without causing a mass panic. Yami was already panicking enough by himself.

He HAD to make sure Yugi was safe. But how to do that without worrying the other? If he just came flying in asking him if he was ok, and if strange people had approached him, Yugi would become suspicious. And he didn't think he could pretend to be calm at the moment. Things would get worse if he pretended to be ok. Yugi would see through his act in a second, and he would start to ask questions. Then Yami would be pressured to let everything out, and Yugi didn't need to know all of that. So what could he do?

Another thing that was stopping him from going to Yugi was the fact that it was a little after noon on a Saturday, and Yugi was most likely with his friends. He couldn't just go and talk to Yugi with his friends around. It was bad enough that the blonde had already seen him, but he couldn't risk the rest of them knowing of his existence. And if Yugi suddenly disappeared, his friends would panic. Which would cause a mess that Yami didn't even want to think of. And he had never made a clone of a human before, so that option was out. Though he was pretty sure he could do it, he didn't know what the effects of that type of magic on a human's body would be. And the last thing he wanted to do was turn Yugi into a guinea pig.

There was absolutely nothing he could do. He couldn't ditch the meeting, he couldn't go see Yugi, and using a clone in either scenario was also out. So he was stuck. And the longer he was without a resolution, the more worried he became. He was wasting time! What if Yugi was already in danger? Though the rational side of his mind argued that he would have sensed it, the panicked side wouldn't hear of it. But he had to be rational in this situation. So, taking a deep breath, he stood up off the ground and shakily brushed himself off.

"Go back to him," he told the two birds, who had been watching him the whole time. "Stay with him and don't leave his side. No matter what," he ordered, glad that his voice wasn't wavering. The two took off quickly, and Yami stood there and watched them fly away. As much as he wished he could go with them, he knew that if he went, it would cause nothing but trouble. 'I'll go to him tonight,' he said to himself. 'I'll just pretend that I'm visiting him again, and while I'm there, I'll set up a barrier around his house. And I'll make that bracelet of his able to sense when a Shadow is around. So he will be able to tell who is near him.'

The King turned and quickly walked back to the castle, struggling to keep himself from running. He didn't want to look worried to others. And running inside, shaking and tense was a definite sign that something was wrong. He would just have to treat this situation like any other. He'd faced tons of these before, where there was a threat to someone or something, and he had taken care of them. Only difference was that this time the person threatened just happened to be the person he loved more than anything. And he didn't even know exactly what the threat was. So he was in the dark about the whole deal. And that scared him. How was he to protect Yugi when he didn't even know what was happening? 'I hope I made the right decision,' he thought. 'Please keep him safe,' he prayed to the gods. Now if only there was a way of knowing if his prayers came true.

------TBC-----

Star: I hope you liked this chapter. I wasn't that pleased with it, but I needed to have something to move the plot on. I didn't have one single plot for this chapter, as the million scene changes show. But don't worry, I have the plot for the next chapter already thought up. So you Seto/Jou fans are going to be happy. XD

See you next time!


	13. Curious about a Puppy

Star: -peeks out from behind wall- Is it safe to come out? I know a lot of you guys are probably annoyed with me for taking so long to post something. And I know that I've made a lot of promises to post sooner, but things just kept piling up.

But now that I have summer vacation, I can update more. But please be patient, since I've gotten out of writing stories, and need to regain my inspiration.

By the way, this chapter is a bit wordy, so bear with it.

Good news - I GOT A KITTEN! His name is Noah (no, not off ygo) and he's the most evil bastard in the world. But I love him to death!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH or the characters.

--Curious about a Puppy--

Seto walked through the halls of the English mansion he was staying in. It was nice, but nothing like the palace back in Japan. For one, he found it far too crowded. There were servants everywhere! But at least it was quiet here, and he could get work done without having to worry about being tackled by two idiots who had nothing better to do. Also, he didn't have to listen to stupid babble over humans, one in particular. He was still extremely angry at Yami, not just for falling in love with a human, but for defending him to the point of almost killing Seto. The King needed to grow up and learn that it was never going to work out. The quicker he learned that lesson, the better it would be for everyone.

A maid shyly approached him, her head bent as she called his name to get his attention. "My Lord would like to see you in the library, Lord Seto." He nodded and headed down the hall towards the library on the other side of the mansion. He wondered what Jonathan wanted with him now. Jonathan Sutherland was a British diplomat of the King's, just like his ancestors for the past fifteen generations. He was a hard working, loyal man, but at times he had very little common sense. It amazed Seto that someone could be so smart, and yet so foolish at the same time.

He knocked on the door and was quickly invited in. Jonathan was sitting in a large armchair surrounded by stacks and stacks of books. Another man that Seto didn't recognize was sitting on the couch facing the door, flipping through a book lazily. There was a golden retriever lying in a patch of sunlight near the window that lifted it's head up when it heard the door open. Jonathan and the other man quickly stood up and bowed at Seto, who nodded back at them. "My Lord, glad you could come so quickly. Ah, this is Patrick Walsh," Jonathan said, pointing at the man on the couch. "He works for me at the embassy."

Patrick bowed again and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Seto."

"Yes, nice to meet you too. Jonathan, what is it that you wanted to see me for?" Seto would rather not be trapped in a meeting at the moment. He felt agitated for some reason, and he needed to get out of this mansion. It was eight in the morning on a Saturday, and he needed to get out. He glanced over at the dog and watched it's tail flick back and forth slowly.

Jonathan nodded and picked up a folder and opened it. "My Lord, you had asked me to look up scrolls on human involvement with Shadows two days ago. Well, Patrick has been going through the vault in the embassy looking for scrolls or documents. Sadly, all we've found was records of casualties after battles. Also, a few records of nobles keeping humans as slaves. But these are from thousands of years ago. And nothing of the royal family keeping human slaves." He handed the folder to Seto, who looked through it. It was nothing but copies of the records.

"This is all you could find?" Seto had hoped that there would be more information of human involvement with Shadows here in England. Yami's ancestors had previously lived here in England, before his great grandfather decided to move to Japan. Actually, the royal family had lived on every continent in the world, but Seto wasn't about to travel around everywhere trying to find out if the royal family had gotten involved with humans before. Seto was absolutely sure that none of them had fallen in love with a human before. His father would have told him that. Unless it had been erased from the records, since it was more than against the laws to be with a human. Maybe falling in love with humans ran in Yami's family. Or it could be that this King was just an idiot.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Lord Seto, that I couldn't find anymore," Patrick said as he bowed his head in shame. Seto sighed and nodded, closing the folder as he did so. He hadn't really expected much, but he had hoped that he would get more than just casualty records. He looked back over at the dog when he heard it get up and stretch. The dog trotted over to him and sat by his feet, looking up at him expectantly.

Seto handed the folder back to Jonathan, and headed towards the door. "Well, thank you for trying." He looked down at the dog that had followed him and tried to shoo it away, but the dog just barked happily and wagged it's tail. With a sigh he gave up and walked out, ignoring the dog that kept following him. He walked down the stairs and headed out to the back garden, sitting down on one of the benches that faced a small fountain. The dog sat on the ground next to him, looking up at him and barking again. He tried to ignore it, but it butted his hand with it's nose, trying to get it's attention. He didn't react to it and it barked again. "What do you want?" he asked finally, looking down at it.

The dog barked happily and wagged it's tail quickly. It began to trot around, obviously in the mood to play. But Seto didn't want to play with the dog. He just wanted to sit here quietly and not think. But the dog's constant barking was getting on his nerves quickly. "Stupid mutt, shut up!" The dog's tail stopped wagging and it looked at him sadly, cocking his head to the side. Suddenly, Seto was reminded of that human boy that he had met a while back. The Shadow sighed and covered his eyes with a hand. Great, this was NOT what he needed to be thinking of at a time like this. And why that human of all people in the world? It was probably because this dog reminded Seto of that human. 'They're both mutts,' he thought bitterly.

The dog nudged his hand again and Seto looked back down at it. "What do you want?" he asked it. "I'm not going to play with you." But all the dog understood was the word 'play', and it began to jump around again. Seto sighed as he watched the dog. "If I play with you now, will you leave me alone for the rest of the day?" The dog barked once, and the teen took that as a yes. Standing up, he began to walk through the gardens with the dog following him. He really didn't know what to do with the dog, so he just created a stick with his magic and threw it. The dog quickly chased after it, bringing it back with a wag of it's tail. They repeated these actions for a bit as they continued to walk through the gardens.

Soon Seto's arm was getting tired from throwing the stick. It seemed that no matter how far he threw it, or where he threw it, the dog would always find it and bring it back. And if he took too long in throwing it, the dog would begin to bark impatiently. Seto couldn't help but smile at it's antics. It wasn't as annoying as he had once thought. In fact, it was rather fun to play with the dog. He sat down on the grass under a tree and watched as the dog barreled through a few bushes to look for the stick. The Shadow titled his neck back till he was looking up at the branches of the tree. The leaves were big on this particular tree, and the brightest shade of green he had ever seen. The wind rustled the leaves a bit so that patches of sunlight peeked through them, making spots of light on the grass below.

He heard the dog come back, and looked down at it. It was panting heavily, but it's tail was still wagging. It slowly walked over to him and flopped down beside him. Stretching itself out, it yawned and shook it's head lazily. Seto reached over and began to gently pat it on the head, marveling at how soft it's fur was. He leaned against the tree trunk as he continued to pet the dog. What was still annoying him was the fact that this dog continued to remind him so much that human that he had met at the school that one day. The soft, blonde hair, the happy aura, the eagerness to please - it was all very similar to that boy. Which was confusing because Seto still had yet to figure out why that boy had been on his mind so often. He had barely talked to the teen for five minutes, and yet he couldn't forget about the kid.

He just couldn't figure it out! Why the hell would a human be on his mind? He was, in no way, like that stupid King who obsessed over a human. He absolutely hated all humans, and that teen was no different. Whether he thought about him often or not did not change the fact that all humans were vile, lowly creatures. There was no changing that fact, and one teen was not going to change how he felt about them. And he wasn't about to change his opinion of the teen either. 'Stupid human,' he thought. 'Why can't you just get out of my head?' Just as he finished that thought, he was suddenly tackled to the ground by one heavy dog. "Get off!" he yelled as the dog began to lick his face.

Well, this was _just_ what he wanted. Note sarcasm. "I said get off, you stupid dog!" The dog barked at him happily but didn't get off. After a few minutes of trying to push the dog off, and failing, Seto sighed in exasperation and just lay on the grass. The dog really was heavy, and Seto felt like he was being crushed by the weight. "What's with you, you dumb mutt? Why don't you leave me alone?" he asked quietly. Though he was talking to the dog, in his mind all he saw was that human. He had to do something before he went insane from thinking about this human all the time. But what could he possibly do? He wasn't about to go stalk after him like Yami was doing with his own human. Though avoiding the problem only seemed to make it worse. So what could he do to stop himself from thinking about the teen every second of the day?

Maybe…maybe if he went back to see the teen one more time, he could forget about him. Just once, for…closure. Yea, that was right. For closure. Though Seto really didn't understand why he needed closure for thinking about a human. It wasn't as if the human meant anything to him. He definitely had no feelings for the human like that stupid King. He would shoot himself in the face before he developed 'feelings' for a human. So his excuse for going back to see the teen was just that he needed closure to forget about him. Then he could move on as if nothing had ever happened.

So, with great effort, he managed to push the dog off of him and stood up, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. The dog looked up at him expectantly, but Seto just walked away from it. He might as well go now, since it was already after five in the afternoon back in Japan. If he waited any longer, he would risk the chance of the teen going to bed. And Seto wanted to get this over as quickly as possible. He closed his eyes and chanted a spell under his breath. Two orange circles and a star appeared beneath him, and he suddenly disappeared in a flash of orange light.

In a second he reappeared on top of a tall building in the middle of Domino. He walked to the edge and looked down at all the people walking on the streets. They were so small, so insignificant compared to him. He could control them all so easily without batting an eyelash. But he was here for another purpose, so his wings burst from his back and he took off into the air quickly, chanting another spell to make him invisible to both humans and Shadows. He couldn't take the risk that Yami had come back to visit the human. If the King saw him here, it would look incredibly suspicious.

The brunette flew around the city for a bit, trying to find the human's scent. It was hard though, since there were so many other humans, and Seto wasn't quite sure on the human's scent in the first place. The only human whose scent he knew well was Yugi's. And, if fate decided it liked him, he would be able to find that other human with Yugi. Because he really wanted this to end quickly, and didn't feel like spending the rest of his life trying to find one elusive human. Seto was tempted to think that the human didn't exist; that he had just made him up in his head. But he knew that wasn't true because why the hell would he make up something like that? That was more like a nightmare than anything.

So he changed tactics and began to search for Yugi's scent. He quickly picked it up and followed outside the city to a small neighborhood. His hearing picked up the sound of laughter coming from behind one of the houses, and he quickly landed on the roof, his wings folding on his back as he crouched over the edge. He felt so stupid now, spying on a bunch of humans just to find the one that wouldn't get out of his head. Forget closure, at this rate Seto felt like punching the teen to get rid of his annoyance.

He was more than surprised to see Yugi being tackled by someone who look very much like Marik. The two fell into a pool with a big splash, and a female began to reprimand them for splashing her. Another tall brunette began to complain that his towel was now completely soaked, and a look-a-like of Bakura reached in to the pool to help Yugi out. Yugi glared at the Marik clone and muttered something which made the other teen begin to apologize hastily.

"Hey, Ryou!" the male brunette called out, and the one who looked like Bakura turned towards him. "Your ipod will get wet if you leave it there." The teen gasped and quickly ran to a pile of clothes, grabbing them and heading inside the house.

'So his name is Ryou,' Seto thought. He'd have to remember that, just incase that idiot of a King dragged them even more into his little ordeal with the human. And if Yugi had a friend that looked like Bakura, then said Shadow would definitely become interested. If he didn't already know about the human that is. He blinked and looked over at Yugi, then suddenly felt his heart stop. Yugi was looking right at him! He backed away from the edge of the roof quickly, muttering another chant to make his invisibility spell stronger. There was no way that Yugi could have seen him! But then why was he looking at him?

"Hey, Yugi," the female called. "Something wrong?" she asked, looking up at the roof as well.

The teen smiled at her and shook his head. "No, I just thought…it's nothing." He then turned away and looked towards the back door. "How long does it take Jou to order a pizza?"

"He's probably secretly ordering twenty for himself," the Marik clone said as he swam lazily back and forth.

"Shut up!" Seto heard a voice yell from inside the house. He perked up when he recognized the voice, and crawled back to the edge of the roof. What did he care if Yugi saw him? The teen had probably only sensed something was off thanks to that stupid bracelet on his left wrist. "It's not my fault that the person taking my order was a deaf idiot!" the voice continued to yell, coming closer to the door. Right before Seto's eyes, the blonde teen that he had been thinking about non stop walked out of the house. The Shadow suddenly found that he couldn't take his eyes off the teen. He was wearing nothing but a dark purple bathing suit, and a towel draped around his shoulders. His body was shimmering in the afternoon sun with droplets of water, the water trickling down his chest and over his lightly defined muscles in little rivulets. His shaggy blonde hair was dripping wet and clung to his face, framing his features gently. His honey eyes shone with mirth, and a small smile played on his rosy lips. "I don't see why they let stupid people like that answer the phone," he said, his voice light and almost melodious.

"That's not nice, Jou," the female said.

"It's the truth!" the blonde answered. "Ask Ryou," he said, pointing to the silver haired teen behind him. "He tried talking to the dumb ass too!"

"I'll admit that person was not the most qualified to take phone orders," Ryou answered as he went to go sit by Yugi. "But the pizzas should be here in twenty minutes."

"They never arrive in twenty minutes," the blonde in the pool said as he swam up and placed his head on Yugi's legs. "I find that they always take longer."

"Well, considering that they have to get all the way up to your apartment, I don't doubt that it takes them longer, Malik," the female said while sitting down next to the other two.

"Well, they still should get there faster," the one called Malik said with a pout.

"Well don't live on such a high floor," Jou teased.

"You shut up," Malik said as he aimed a splash at Jou. "I'd rather live with Yugi than in that apartment," he continued, wrapping his arms around the smaller teen and dragging him back into the pool.

"I don't think my sanity would last very long if you did that," Yugi said as he struggled to climb back out, only to be held tightly by the tan blonde.

"Or your virginity," the tall male brunette said with a laugh. The others chuckled and agreed with him.

Yugi blushed hotly, and aimed a big splash at the male. "Honda, you shut up! You are all perverts," he complained as he tried once again to get out of the pool.

"But, Yugi," Malik said with a laugh as he held on tighter to the struggling teen. "You can't be so embarrassed. After all, we're going to elope soon."

Seto smirked when Yugi began to splash the blonde teen, yelling curses and insults at him and all the others. 'Elope, huh?' Yea, that definitely sounded like something Marik would do and say. Especially with the one who looks like Yami. These humans were way too similar to how the others acted, that it was almost scary. Except that Ryou seemed like a calm, _logical _person. Definitely not like Bakura, which was a very good thing.

"Malik, you are going to drown him if you don't let go," Jou said, and Seto turned to watch him. The blonde walked over towards the pool and grabbed Yugi's arm to pull him out. Seto saw the twin devious smirks on both Yugi and Malik's faces, and soon Jou was floating at the bottom of the pool. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly when the blonde began to chase after them. He grabbed Yugi and began to tickle the smaller human.

"Jounouchi! Stop!" Yugi said between laughs, almost choking on the water that he kept splashing about.

'So his full name is Jounouchi,' Seto thought, making sure to remember that name. Though he didn't know why he had to. It wasn't as if he was going to see the human again after this. No, this was closure, and closure mean the end. It meant the end of always thinking of the human. It meant the end of having the boy's image at the front of his mind. It meant that he would finally be able to forget about this whole ordeal. Well…until Yami screws up again and drags them all back in to his little fling with the human. Which he _would_.

It really wasn't that he had anything against Yugi, other than the fact that he was a human. The teen seemed like a very nice person, and seemed to truly care for Yami. Seto still remembered what Yugi had asked him before he left that night that they found Yami. He had asked them to take care of Yami. He wouldn't say that if he didn't care for the King. 'But how much does he care about Yami?' Seto thought to himself. Yami had fallen in love with the human, but what were the extent of Yugi's feelings? Was it possible that Yugi cared for Yami just as much? This was a new idea that Seto would have to look into. Later, though, as now he was currently focusing on the fact that Jou was climbing out of the pool, the water flowing gently down his body.

"I'm not gonna help you next time he clings to you like that," Jou said, sticking his tongue out at Yugi.

Yugi pouted and gave the teen a sad look, which made Jou quickly look away. "Aww, don't you care about me anymore?"

"Not if you pull me in the pool while I try to help you," Jou answered, covering his face with a towel. "You and your crazy stalker can drown for all I care."

"So he says, but you know he's still going to try to save you," Honda quickly said.

"Thanks for the back up, jerk!"

Seto just couldn't take his eyes off the human teen for some reason. He also found that he couldn't leave. It was more than strange that he was obsessing so much over a human. Wait, no! Not obsessing! He was not about to turn into Yami, and that was final. He was not obsessing over the human. Curious was a better word, but even that sounded wrong. He was not curious about the human. He was definitely not obsessing over the human. He was here for closure on all his strange thoughts that constantly revolved around the human. But closure wasn't coming to him as fast as he would have liked, and he was beginning to wonder if he was going to find closure today. Or if he was going to find closure at all. 'No, I will find closure!' he told himself, eyes narrowing in a light glare at a roof tile. 'I will stop all these crazy thoughts about him once and for all!'

It just hit Seto how much he sounded like an ex lover. What with all his talk of closure and the fact that he admitted that he was always thinking about the boy. It made him sound like some love sick fool who had just recently been dumped. A chill went down his spine with that particular train of thought, and his glare at the poor roof tile intensified. He was _NOT NOW _nor will he _EVER BE_ the jilted lover of a _HUMAN_. It was Yami's job to obsess and fawn over a human, not his. And Seto would be damned before he let his whole existence revolve around a human. This was closure, damnit! So enough with all the thoughts over that human!

The Shadow turned his glare towards Jou, but his glare quickly shifted from him to the female who was clinging to his arm. With all his mental ranting and denial of obsession, he had completely missed their conversation. Though that didn't give permission to that girl to hang off Jou like that. That cheap harlot! "Come on! You promised," the female said as she batted her eyelashes at him.

"Anzu, do I have to?" Jou asked, looking more than uncomfortable. The other four teens snickered and he glared at them all.

"A promise is a promise, Jou," Ryou said, trying so hard to keep his smile in check.

"But I don't even remember making that promise!" the blonde said in his defense.

"I do!" Malik chimed in happily, earning a glare. "It was after lunch on Thursday, when Anzu met us in the gym before class. You and Honda were arguing about something and Anzu asked you, and you agreed."

"Well I obviously wasn't paying attention!" Jou yelled. "So that doesn't count!"

"But we all heard you make the promise, Jou," said Yugi with a laugh.

"Oh, come on, Yugi! Why don't you go with her? It wouldn't look so weird if you went." Jou was desperate now, and Seto wondered what exactly he missed.

"And why not? I'm a guy too. Besides, she asked you and you agreed to go. So you are going."

"But…I don't want to shop for a bridesmaid's dress!" Jou whined pathetically. He looked on the verge of tears and the others did nothing but smirk evilly. Seto couldn't help but smirk himself at the teen's predicament. That sounded like such a fun thing to do. "I'll be dead before the day is through."

'Stupid mutt,' Seto thought, still sporting the smirk. 'You shouldn't agree to things without finding out what they are first.' This human wasn't the brightest of the bunch, that was for sure. So what exactly was he still doing here then? Seto should have flown away a long time ago. It was a stupid idea to come here in the first place. Because he wasn't getting any closer to 'closure' at all. Actually he was finding it was getting harder to leave. He had been telling himself to leave for the past ten minutes and yet not once did he get up. In fact, he had actually crawled closer to the edge of the roof. Any more and he would have fallen off the edge.

The teen heard a car approach the house, and soon after the doorbell rang. The whole group raced into the house to grab their pizza. As soon as they had all gone out of sight, Seto let out a sigh and lay down on the roof. The door was still open so he caught bits of their conversation, but he wasn't really paying attention to them anymore. He was too busy trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. He was supposed to be the logical one. The one who didn't let stupid things like this affect him at all. He had always been that way, and he had expected that he would continue being that way. Someone had to be the sane one in the palace, otherwise nothing would ever get done.

But now he was falling into this situation head first, and he didn't know how to handle it. He continued to tell himself that the only reason he was here in the first place was because of closure, but he didn't know if he could fool himself with that. It was obvious that this attempt at closure wasn't working at all. Even a blind man could see that. But then what was going to happen if he couldn't resolve this problem here and now? He wasn't about to go around pining for someone who he knew he'd never get. He really, really, REALLY was not about to follow Yami's path. He would keep telling himself that for however long it took. But he knew better than to get involved with humans. He had been taught since he was a little boy that Shadows and humans were never to have contact, no matter what. It was the biggest rule of the Shadow race, and it was not to be broken under penalty of death. Technically, Seto hadn't broken the rule since he hadn't come in contact with Jou. Other than that one time, but that was only because he was looking for Yami. And rescuing the King took precedent that time, so he had done nothing wrong.

This time though, he was sort of breaking the second biggest rule. Sort of. The rule which said that Shadows must not go looking for human contact. Seto wasn't looking for contact. He was trying to end things, not start things. So once again, he wasn't technically breaking the rule. He didn't want to talk to the boy, he didn't want to be involved with him at all. He just wanted to have closure, but apparently he wasn't supposed to find closure. Not today anyway, since all he could think of now was how the teen had looked dripping wet. 'Fuck, get that thought out of my head now!' the teen Shadow thought as he smacked himself on the forehead. That particular thought would have lead somewhere that Seto was not at all comfortable going.

A cry caught his attention, and he stopped mentally shooting himself long enough to pay attention to what was being said. He vaguely picked up something about work and long hours. "I can't believe they want me to come in now!" he heard Jou say angrily. Seto heard the sound of things being moved about and a plate was thrown into a sink. "They know this is my day off!"

"Can't you call someone to take your place?" Anzu asked.

"No one is going to come at this time. Except for the ones who were supposed to be working today!"

"Are they going to give you another day off," Ryou asked.

"I don't know. Probably not, since they are jackasses anyway," Jou said before the sound of a door slamming shut was heard. The rest of the group chatted quietly for a few minutes before a door was opened. "I'd better be going then."

"What time do you get off?" Honda asked as more sounds came from the house. "I'll give you a ride home."

"I get off at eleven," Jou answered bitterly. "I'll walk home, don't worry."

"Be careful," Yugi told him. "Call me when you can."

"Sure," Jou said before another door was opened. Seto stood up and walked towards the front of the house, peering over the roof. Jou was standing in the doorway, now wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt. He was holding a duffle bag that was quickly becoming wet at the bottom and shook the bag lightly so that the few drops of water that had formed flew off. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then," he said with a wave as he closed the door and headed off.

Seto flapped his wings and took off behind Jou, flying a bit behind the teen. He didn't want it to seem as if he really were following Jou. Though he knew that no one would even know about him, he was trying to convince himself that if he got sick of the whole deal, he could just fly away. Though deep down he knew there was no way he was going to be able to just fly away. He hadn't been able to fly away from the house, so there was probably no way that he was going to be able to fly away from him now. Besides, Seto was a bit curious to see where the human was going. He had nothing better to do, since he had planned his whole day around this. So he might as well just go along. It wasn't as if he could just waltz back into the palace like nothing happened. He probably wouldn't be able to get past the gate. Yami was notorious for holding grudges, and Seto was pretty sure he wasn't going to let this one go so easily.

Jou stopped at a crosswalk and leaned against a pole, running a hand through his still wet hair. The teen sighed and looked up at the sky with a melancholy expression, obviously wanting to go back to his friends. Seto floated right above him, watching every move that the other made. Jou was very expressive, and he always seemed to wear his expression on his sleeve. Not always a good quality, but on Jou it seemed to fit his personality perfectly. Seto stared down into those bright honey eyes and found that he just couldn't look away. It was as if time had stopped all around them, and they were the only two beings that mattered. He felt as if he could look into Jou's soul, as cliché as that sounded. But it felt like the right thing to say; the only thing that could accurately describe it. Before he knew what he was doing, he had reached a hand out and had lightly touched Jou's cheek.

Suddenly the spell was broken and time resumed as people began to walk everywhere. Jou walked along with the crowd, but Seto stayed where he was and stared at the hand that had touched Jou. 'What the hell did I just do!' he yelled at himself. 'Did I really do something as stupid and girly as that? How pathetic can I be?' He had, in a moment of sheer stupidity, touched Jou's cheek. He actually TOUCHED a human. A wave of nausea passed over him and he suddenly felt dirty. 'How could I do something like touch him? I didn't even know what I was doing!' The urge to shoot himself suddenly became stronger. 'I really am turning out just like Yami.'

Now was the time where he should just fly away quickly and forget everything that had happened today. After all, why would he ever want to remember this moment? Luckily for him no one could see him, so no one had seen the horrible act that had just taken place. He wanted to cut off his own hand now for being so stupid as to touch Jou. No matter how soft the human's skin felt, or how warm. But those were not the types of thoughts he should be thinking of at this moment in time, or any other moment for that matter. It seemed as if he were just repeating the same things over and over to himself; don't now nor ever fall for a human, especially one like Jou. But if he didn't tell himself over and over, then he might forget and do something irrational that he would definitely regret.

By this time, Jou had moved on far past the lamppost and was disappearing into the crowd. Though Seto was definitely having second thoughts on following him now. What if he got in over his head by doing something like this? What if he dug himself into a hole so deep that he couldn't pull himself out of? After all, it wasn't like him to go around following someone as if he cared for that person. Not to mention that it was a human that he was following around; the sworn enemy of the Shadow race since the beginning of time. And yet here he was, basically stalking the guy just because he couldn't get the boy out of his mind. Was there something wrong with him? Or had Yami's craziness finally rubbed off on him?

But as he pondered over his situation, he noticed that Jou had almost disappeared completely from his view. He could barely see the shaggy mane of blonde hair bobbing through the crowd. Before he could give it another thought, Seto had taken off and flew quickly to catch up with the human. The boy was walking so fast though that the Shadow had to race to keep up with him. Jou continued to look at his watch with an annoyed glare, sighing and groaning occasionally at the slow moving crowd. He was pushing past people, slipping through large groups whenever he had the chance, almost brushing people aside. Seto had the passing thought of helping Jou out, but then what would he do? No, more importantly, WHY would he help Jou? Besides the fact that he was starting to look anxious at this point, checking his watch more and more frequently.

But Seto could see the reason why there was such a back up in traffic. Far ahead was a car accident, and the police were detouring the pedestrians into another side street to avoid getting in the way of the emergency vehicles. Which, of course, meant that Jou would be held back from getting to work even longer. The Shadow looked down when Jou muttered a string of curses, watching as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He vaguely listened in to the conversation Jou was having with his boss while watching the crowd to see if anything would change for the better.

He continued to look around the area with mild interest, when something suddenly caught his attention. There was something off about his surroundings; something that just didn't seem right. It felt like there was something here that shouldn't be, but Seto had absolutely no idea what that could be. But it felt so familiar that the Shadow was racking his mind to try and figure out where he knew it from. Of all the times not to know something like this! But it seemed too important to just forget something like this so easily. Maybe it was because he had been obsessing over Jou for the past who knows how long.

Then it suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks; there was another Shadow in the area. Seto suddenly became very alert and tense, scanning the area very carefully. What the hell was going on here? Why would there be another Shadow in this area? This was a human city, and Shadows, no matter who they were, were not allowed anywhere near the humans. The fact that one was walking around with the humans, not even bothering to hide himself, worried Seto greatly. What if there were more Shadows wandering the human cities around the world? What if Yami wasn't the only Shadow to have contact with humans, and to fall in love with one?

That particular Shadow felt powerful too, not like any regular Shadow that one would find. This one seemed as if he was a fighter, or someone who would constantly try to raise his power level. He wasn't as strong as Seto or anyone else on the high council, but he could possibly be as powerful as some of the members on the lower council. Which meant big, big trouble for Yami and the others. If Shadows as powerful as the lower council were wandering around in human cities, then could they possibly be trying to start some type of revolution. That is, of course, if this wasn't already some plan by the group that had attacked the palace a month ago.

The crowd below him started moving again, and Jou went along with them. Seto was now definitely in a bind; should he continue to follow Jou or should he head back to the palace and see if he could talk to Yami. Because this information was very important for the safety of Shadows, and also for the humans. If that rebel group wasn't stopped quickly, then that could mean the end of both races. But he didn't even know if Yami would meet with him after what had happened. But he could at least talk to Marik or Bakura and they could tell Yami.

With a groan, he continued to follow Jou, realizing that he had to finish what he had started. So far there was nothing suspicious or dangerous feeling about that mysterious Shadow, so Seto wasn't too worried that something was going to happen. So he tried to push that new development to the back of his mind as he focused on Jou again. The boy had started running now, dashing across streets and between crowds to get to his goal even faster. He finally reached a jazz bar, stopping and taking a deep breath before opening the door and walking in.

'This is where he works?' the Shadow thought as he landed and looked inside the dark windows. There were people sitting all around in booths, at tables, and at the bar. Soft, multicolored lights were flashing all around the room, shining on the patrons for a few seconds before panning to another area. Soft jazz music flowed out into the street thanks to the live band that was playing on a stage in the far corner of the room. An attractive woman stood before the band and was singing softly to add to the mood the music was setting.

But Jou had disappeared completely from view. Seto looked around the whole place for him, but couldn't spot the boy at all. He wasn't even part of the waiters that occasionally walked around the floor serving the people. Where could he have disappeared to? Finally Jou walked out from a back room wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks. He walked behind the bar and began to talk to the other bartender for a few minutes before starting to serve the customers. 'So he's a bartender? Isn't he young?' Seto thought as he watched Jou work for a few minutes. But he had to admit that Jou was pretty good, watching the human expertly pour drinks for the customers.

The lampposts suddenly flickered on, and Seto realized how late it had become. It was almost eight in the evening now. Seto had spent almost three hours watching and stalking Jou around the city. 'Well if that wasn't the biggest waste of my time,' he thought to himself bitterly. But at the same time, he felt much better for having come here. He had finally forced himself to face the problem that he had been having since the day he met Jou; why the boy was always in his thoughts. Though he hadn't actually figured out an answer to his problem, he was one step closer to the answer. He realized that, despite all his arguments against humans in general, Jou wasn't that bad of a person. In fact, he found himself amused by Jou many times throughout the day.

Seto made sure that there was no one around before he landed on the ground. The large, leathery, black wings folded on his back and disappeared quickly. A quick wardrobe change later, and Seto looked just like any other teenager. A black, leather jacket over a navy blue shirt with black pants was now covering him, and his hair was slicked back. Seto looked older in this outfit, but he also hoped that it gave an aura that said 'don't come near me'. His invisibility spell wore off and the Shadow was now visible to everyone. The deepest, longest sigh in history passed his lips before he walked inside the bar.

As soon as he walked through the door, he felt many eyes turn to him. Almost immediately he sensed desire radiating from those humans, and he had to suppress a disgusted shiver from running down his spine. He could hear people whispering about him, but he ignored them completely. Focusing on the soft music, he headed to the bar and took a seat at the very end. Jou had just gone into the back to fetch something, but luckily the other bartender was too busy with other customers. Turning around, Seto looked around the bar and noticed that people would look away whenever his head turned in their direction. Stupid fools; as if he'd ever be interested in them.

"Can I help you, Sir?" someone asked from behind, and he turned around. His heart momentarily stopped when he saw Jou, but luckily his expression remained calm. Though he could see recognition and surprise in Jou's eyes.

Seto peered over his sunglasses, and stared straight into Jou's eyes. "Just a Scotch on the rocks," he answered casually. He heard Jou's heartbeat pick up and watched as the human nodded and quickly walked off to get him his drink. He mentally let out a relieved sigh, happy that that part had gone well. Though he was a bit surprised that Jou recognized him. It had been about a month since that short meeting in front of the school. He took off his sunglasses and placed them in his coat pocket just as Jou came back. "Here you are, Sir," the human said. Seto nodded in thanks and took the glass, taking a sip as he looked away from Jou. He didn't want to be caught staring at the teen, because that would raise suspicion.

"Um…Sir?" Jou called, and Seto turned back around to face him. "I don't mean to pry, but…have we met before?"

Seto was silent for a minute before replying. "I've never been here before."

Jou shook his head and averted his gaze slightly so that he wasn't looking straight into Seto's dark, sapphire eyes. "No, I meant outside. Like…were you at Domino High a few weeks ago?"

"Why do you ask?" Seto asked back.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude," Jou said quickly. "Forget I asked. Excuse me." Jou was about to walk away when suddenly Seto reached out and grabbed his wrist. Jou stopped and stared at him in shock, and even Seto's mind was reeling from what he had just done.

"I was at Domino High. You were the one who came up to me," Seto answered, slowly letting go of Jou's wrist.

"Oh. You were looking for someone, weren't you?" Jou asked as he placed his arms behind his back to prevent Seto from grabbing him again. "Did you ever find them?"

"Yes."

"Oh. That's good." Jou stood there in silence for a few more seconds before he made a move to walk off.

"Why did you come up to me?" Seto asked, clearly trying to stall Jou's departure.

"What?" the blonde teen asked, cocking his head to the side.

Seto blinked and quickly looked away, remembering that it was that exact same sight that caused him to think of Jou constantly. "You came up to me and asked if I needed help. Why did you do it?" He pretended to be focusing on the jazz band and their music, but he was waiting anxiously for Jou's answer.

"I…don't really know. I saw you…and…I don't know…" Jou said as he ran a hand through his hair. "It just…looked like you needed help. And since no one else was going up, I decided to do it." Jou was clearly uncomfortable in explaining why he had gone up to talk to him, but it had been bothering Seto since that day. He would have preferred it if Jou had left him alone; that way he wouldn't be having such strange thoughts over the human. But another part of him, the annoying part, was glad that Jou had gone up and talked to him.

"Do you normally help random strangers?" Seto would feel a lot better if he knew that it was a common thing for Jou to help people out. At least he would know that it hadn't been for any strange reason, like if Jou found him attractive or something. But after everything that had happened already, and all the thoughts that had passed through the Shadow's mind that day, the thought that Jou might find him attractive didn't bother him as much as it normally would have. Not that he wanted to think that way at all, but he didn't seem to have control over his thoughts today.

"Well…sometimes…if they really needed it." But in reality, that wasn't the reason why Jou had gone up to Seto. He really didn't have a logical explanation for why he had gone up to the man. It was as if something had told him to go up to Seto and talk to him. There was just something about the man that had pushed Jou into action. "And…you looked like you needed help."

Seto looked into Jou's honey eyes for a minute before looking towards the band, tapping his fingers against the glass. It was a reasonable answer, and yet Seto felt as if he had wanted to hear more. There was just something he had been wanting to hear from the other teen, and not hearing left him a little disappointed. He didn't know what else to say to the boy at the moment, and there were only so many ways to ask the question 'why did you help me'. And if he continued pressuring the boy, Jou would become either annoyed or concerned. And Seto didn't want Jou to think strangely of him, even though the Shadow couldn't understand why he wanted Jou to think of him in the first place. He just couldn't understand this boy, or why he gave him such strange thoughts and feelings. He made Seto act strangely, and made him stress out about things that shouldn't have even crossed his mind to begin with. Not only had he spent over three hours stalking the boy, he had touched him twice, and even went inside the boy's work just to keep track of him. Seto felt as if he were going crazy the longer he stayed around Jou, but at the same time he just couldn't find the will to walk away. He didn't want to walk away, but he didn't know why.

Jou was called over by the other bartender, so he excused himself and walked off. Seto could tell that the boy was relieved to leave Seto's presence, since it was obvious he had been uncomfortable the entire time. Seto didn't blame him; it wasn't as if he had made it any easier to talk to him, what with the constant questions. Seto watched Jou work out of the corner of his eye, trying to make it look like he was focusing on the band instead. He occasionally caught Jou glancing over at him, before quickly looking away. One time their eyes met, and Seto swore that he saw a blush form on Jou's cheek. But it was probably just his imagination, or a trick of the light.

After a while, Seto ordered another drink, just as an excuse to bring Jou back to him again. He didn't know what he would say, but it didn't bother him so much. He had decided that Jou wasn't such a bad person. He seemed like a kind person, and a good friend. Not to mention that he was kind of attractive, but Seto had to force himself to admit that. It was probably one of the few compliments he had given to ANY human in his whole life. Calling Yugi nice was one thing, but saying that Jou was attractive was on a whole different level. That was seriously toeing the line of starting to like Jou. As much as he hated to admit it, he kind of understood why Yami liked Yugi. The boy was kind, and helpful, and cute in his own way. Ok, he understood that. But this was Jou. Not Yugi. Yami had no feelings for Jou at all, if the King even knew he existed, so what Seto was thinking was all from his own brain. Which scared the hell out of the Shadow, since it meant that he was just as susceptible to falling for Jou, like Yami had for Yugi.

The singer took a break after a while, and now it was just the bad playing softly in the background. Now that it wasn't as loud as before, Seto could hear Jou talking to his co-workers. The Shadow heard the teen's laughter ring through the bar, and it was just as pleasing as before. Seto knew that he was becoming a complete sap, and in record time too! Just one day! He looked over at Jou and caught the teen's gaze. This time he didn't look away, and continued looking at Jou. He wanted to challenge Jou to see how long Jou would keep looking.

Jou kept looking back, though it was obvious that he wanted to look away. His gaze kept wavering, but he just couldn't take his eyes off those deep, sapphire orbs that were gazing at him so intently. He felt as if those eyes were peering straight into his soul, as cliché as that sounded. But they were so deep and mysterious, not to mention the color was amazing. Finally he had to look away, since it felt as if he was getting lost in a trance. Jou suddenly felt a blush darken over his cheeks; he just realized that he had been staring like an idiot. "So…um…what's your name?"

"Seto," was the short answer the Shadow gave. "Yours?"

"I'm Jou. Where are you from?"

"Far away," Seto answered vaguely. "What about you? I've never seen a blonde Asian before." He needed to change the subject quickly.

"Well, I've never seen a blue eyed Asian either…wait…forgot about Anzu," Jou said with a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head.

Seto couldn't help but smile at Jou. The teen was so strange, and yet it seemed almost cute. Of course, Seto would never use the word cute for any human. Nope, he'd never use it. "You are a strange one, aren't you?"

"I am not!" Jou said with a ticked off look. "I'm normal, no matter what you think."

"I'm sure you are. Aren't you too young to be working in a bar?" Seto couldn't help but ask these questions. He wanted to know more about the teen. Might as well get it over with now, so he wouldn't have to bother with constant wondering.

Jou handed a drink to another customer, and knelt down to look for a glass. "I know the guy who owns this place. I needed a job, he needed a worker. It worked out." Normally he didn't talk this much to random strangers, but Seto was an exception. He didn't know WHY, but he felt as if he could open up to Seto. "How long will you be in town?"

"I don't know. It's hard to say, since I have my…job to attend to." Seto didn't know if he still had a job. Technically no one could take his job since advisor to the king was a job passed down through his family. But that didn't mean that he couldn't be removed from that position if the King chose to do so. "I don't have much time to just go wandering around. I always have work to do."

"Wow. Sounds like you have a lot of responsibility. I don't think I could handle a work schedule like that." Jou wondered how old Seto was if he had so much work to do. Unless he was an intern, or some sort of genius that graduated early. Suddenly Jou felt like a moron compared to Seto; he was struggling to pass math, and here was this guy talking as if he was the boss of his own company or something.

"Well, you're only hum…shouldn't you be doing school work instead of serving people alcohol?" Seto was glad that he had caught that mistake before he said it. Saying the word 'human' would probably make Jou wonder what was wrong with him.

"Shouldn't you be working instead of wasting your money on the alcohol that I'm serving you?" Jou snapped back. He was starting to think that Seto was a bit annoying.

"Touché," Seto said with a smirk. "That means you made a good response."

"I know what touché means!" Jou lied, turning away from Seto. "Are you going to order anything else, or are you just going to take up space at my bar?"

Seto continued smirking at Jou's annoyed look. It was fun to piss him off, even though Seto knew it wasn't nice. But it wasn't often that he could piss people off like this and get enjoyment out of it. If he tried it with the others, they'd end up annoying him back. But what could one expect from a human? "Until I decide, I'm going to sit here and continue bothering you."

"Jee, thanks for being such a considerate bastard."

"Is that any way that you should talk to your customers? What if I were to complain about you to the manager?" Seto asked, taking another sip.

Jou scoffed and turned back to Seto. "I'd tell him that you were being a rude jackass, and have you kicked out." Seto was really getting on his nerves now, and he just wanted to tell the guy to get the hell out. He had thought that Seto was a nice guy, but now he was realizing that he was an ass. "Don't you have anything better to do than to bother me?"

The Shadow snickered and pushed the empty glass of scotch towards Jou, who took it and refilled it. "Nope. My night is completely free, so you are stuck with me until I feel like I've gotten bored enough with you."

Jou rolled his eyes and walked off to take care of other customers. The singer came back and the band started their music again. Seto watched Jou again as he chatted with other people, laughing and trading news. It was amazing to see the change he suddenly made when he talked to other people. Of course, it was to be expected that he was nice to the people that were nice to him. But Seto liked being an ass to him.

A few hours later, Seto was still sitting at the bar. By this time, Jou had learned to ignore any rude comments that Seto made to him. He figured out that Seto liked being an ass, and was trying to not fall into that trap again. Of course, it wasn't going as easy as he hoped. He still got riled up by any comment that Seto made to him. Especially the new nickname that Seto had picked out for him: Puppy. Finally it was time for the bar to close up, and Jou turned to Seto. "Are you going or not? We're closing up already."

Seto looked at his watch and noticed just how late it really was. He needed to get back to England. Or the castle if he was allowed back in. Seto stood up and placed his money down on the table. He nodded and walked out, the bell on the door ringing as it opened and closed. Jou sighed in relief when Seto was finally gone, glad that he didn't have to deal with that man for the rest of the night. He dropped the rag he was holding to pick up the money. Counting it absentmindedly, he turned and began to walk to the register when he suddenly stopped. He blinked and recounted the money again. "What the hell?" he muttered as he counted the money a third time. This had to be some sort of mistake. He leapt over the bar and ran outside. Jou stood outside the bar and looked around for Seto. He spotted the other man two blocks away and sprinted after him. "HEY! Hold up! Wait already!" he yelled as he ran after Seto.

Seto stopped and turned around, giving Jou a confused look as he watched the teen run after him. "What is it? Did I forget something?"

"What's the deal?" Jou asked suddenly, shoving the money in Seto's face. "You gave me too much!"

Seto blinked and looked down at the wad of cash. "No, I gave you the right amount."

Jou stuttered and shook the cash under Seto's nose. "You gave me a hundred dollars too much! I couldn't let you walk away a hundred dollars short." Jou wondered exactly why Seto was carrying around so much cash, and where he might have gotten it. But, at the same time, he didn't want to know. No way did he want to get involved in any shady deals.

"I told you," Seto said, pushing the money back towards Jou. "I gave you the right amount. Take it and stop complaining." Jeez, why couldn't Jou just accept the money? It was a good tip, and anyone would be glad to have it. After all, it was a hundred dollars!

Jou stuttered again and looked from the money back to Seto. "I…I…I'm not going to accept it. You are crazy! For just a few glasses-"

"I'm not taking the money back, so deal with it. Do something useful with it, like getting a haircut," Seto said with a smirk as he turned and walked away again. Jou was left there staring after Seto as the brunette walked away again.

"I'm…I'm not using this money!" Jou yelled out, but Seto didn't turn around. Instead he just continued walking away into the crowd. Jou finally went inside after a few minutes. His coworkers wanted to know what all the commotion was about, and Jou revealed the one hundred dollar tip. His coworkers were in just as much awe as Jou was, and some wondered what the hell Jou had done to possibly deserve that much in tip. Someone even accused Jou of having a sugar daddy, but was silenced by a strong bash to the head. Jou offered to turn the money in to the boss, but was immediately yelled at for even thinking of something so stupid. In the end, Jou was forced to shove the bill into his pocket and keep it.

Seto found himself in a small park a few miles away from the bar. Thoughts were swirling around in his head like a tornado, and Seto couldn't keep a grasp on one for too long. Why was he so nice to Jou, a human? He had never been this way before. Blaming Yami was convenient, but completely useless since Yami wasn't making him feel this way. Nor could he blame Yugi for starting everything, since it wasn't the human's fault. No, the one to blame was Jou. But how could he blame Jou for something the teen didn't even know he did? Seto wasn't even sure what crime Jou had committed!

"I'm sick of this whole damn town, and all these humans," Seto muttered to himself as he withdrew his wings and flew into the air. He was going to go back to England and sleep this day off. There was absolutely no way that he was going to get any answers today. "Fuck this." An orange circle appeared under Seto, and he prepared himself to leave for England. However, just before he vanished he sensed that other Shadow nearby, watching him. His eyes scanned the surroundings, but he couldn't see anyone. "Who are you!" he yelled, taking a step forward as if to charge at the other Shadow. It was too late though, since Seto disappeared in a bright, orange flash.

--

Star: Yea, there is another Shadow wandering around the town. And now they know Seto is wandering around as well. What could this mean for Yami and the others?

You have to stay tuned to the next chapter to find out. And I SWEAR on my kitten's life that I will put the next chapter out soon.


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